Chip Stoner, president and CEO of the Boys & Girls Club of Rockford, talks during a news conference Tuesday, March 1, 2022, at the Fairgrounds Club location. He was inducted into the inaugural class of the Illinois Area Council Boys & Girls Club Hall of Fame in April. (Photo by Kevin Haas/Rock River Current)
From news release
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — The longtime leader of the Boys & Girls Club of Rockford was honored this month as an inaugural inductee into the Illinois Area Council Boys & Girls Club Hall of Fame.

Chip Stoner, who joined the Boys & Girls Club of Rockford in 1989 and was named CEO in 1997, was inducted April 11 during a ceremony in Bloomington.

The Hall of Fame, which was launched in 2020 but delayed because of the coronavirus pandemic, recognizes exceptional service to Boys & Girls Clubs in the state.

“Chip’s level of engagement at the clubs is vital to the overall success of our members,” said Dan Clark, a Boys & Girls Club of Rockford board member who nominated Stoner. “I cannot think of a better candidate to be in the inaugural class of the Illinois Hall of Fame.”

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During Stoner’s tenure, the club completed a $1.4 million capital campaign to renovate and expand clubs, instituted a gang prevention program, integrated evidence-based academic programs and expanded a housing site location near Fairgrounds Valley to a newly purchased stand-alone club.

“I’m humbled, honored and truly grateful for this recognition,” Stoner said after the induction. “The Boys & Girls Club of Rockford will continue doing whatever it takes to help kids, families and communities close the opportunity gap, ensuring young people have access to experiences and opportunities that change their lives for the better.”

The Boys & Girls Club of Rockford was founded in 1908 and serves more than 3,500 youth at five club locations and three school sites.

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