I have long been a fan of a quote by Colin Powell that says, “The healthiest competition occurs when average people win by putting above average effort”, and his quote is the perfect way to describe a recent recycling competition in which the Boys & Girls Clubs of Conejo & Las Virgenes participated.  Working with the American Chemistry Council, we launched a recycling competition called the Chapter Challenge.  The program ran from September 2011 – June 2012.

The competition ran throughout the school year making it possible for any of the five Clubs to win during the year.  The Club directors and staff encouraged kids to bring in recyclables and put them into the Chapter Challenge recycle bins, making it easy for everyone to participate.  While each of the Clubs pushed to recycle the most and win the challenge, there was only one who can hold that title; the Sequoia Club managed to win the entire competition.  From the first quarter to the last, the Sequoia Club of Boys & Girls Clubs of Conejo & Las Virgenes brought in 623.8 lbs of recyclables!  Lisa Barron, Club Director, couldn’t believe it when I told her she had WON!

Becky Fleishman is the current Resource & Events Coordinator at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Conejo & Las Virgenes.