Maylene Kiang Wu named Boys & Girls Clubs' 'Board Member of the Year' for Florida

FORT MYERS, Fla. - Oct. 25, 2024 - PRLog -- Maylene Kiang Wu, board president for Boys & Girls Clubs of Lee County, has been named Florida Board Member of the Year by Boys & Girls Clubs of America's Florida Alliance.

The award recognizes one board member statewide who exhibits strong leadership and community service, makes significant contribution to the clubs he or she serves, and displays passion, dedication and an unwavering commitment to youth development.

Jim Clark, president and CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of America, presented Wu the Florida Board Member of the Year Award at the Florida Area Council's annual meeting of the Florida Alliance on Sept. 10 in Sarasota. The Florida Alliance represents 27 county and regional organizations, as well as club programs on nine Florida military bases. Its purpose is to serve as a single, influential voice representing Florida's clubs while helping secure state funding and other resources to benefit member organizations.

Wu joined the board of directors for Boys & Girls Clubs of Lee County in April 2019 and has served as board president since October 2021. During this period, she guided the nonprofit into a position of fiscal strength and is leading a multiyear fundraising campaign to transform the former Fort Myers Event Center into a flagship club. Once renovations are complete in 2025, Park Meadows Community Club will feature enclosed activity centers, a tech center, gaming room, central member hub, seating pods, teen center, sports pavilion and multipurpose sports field. Its teen center will host college prep and workforce development programs for students in middle school and high school, focusing on the skills required to succeed in college and the workplace. Wu is one of the project's largest individual donors.

"Maylene leads by example," said Denise Gergley, CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Lee County. "Our board members represent a diverse group of industries – development, banking, health care, technology and more – and Maylene provides strategic leadership and governance while ensuring all discussions and decisions are made in the best interest of the youth we serve."

Wu helps lead Pacific Peak LLC, a Southwest Florida real estate investment group focused on ground-up development, sales, acquisitions and joint ventures.

Boys & Girls Clubs of Lee County provides an After-school Program and Summer Enrichment Camp across eight local sites, serving 1,250 children and teens annually.