Donations | Economic Impact Report Provides Interesting Data for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Conejo Valley

Agoura Hills, CA – The Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Conejo Valley (BGCGCV) is making a positive economic impact on the community according to a recent study conducted by Jamshid Damooei, Ph.D., a Professor & Chair of Department Economics, Finance & Accounting and Co-Director of the Center for Leadership and Values at California Lutheran University.

The two-part study conducted by Damooei contains updated information from an earlier report submitted in 2014. The 2018 study provides new data and reveals the economic impact of the Boys & Girls Clubs in Ventura County as a whole, as well as for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Conejo Valley.

The study on the Boys & Girls Clubs throughout Ventura County included the following key findings:

• For every $1 spent by the Clubs, $2 of increased lifetime earnings is generated by impacted Club members;
• For every $1 spent by the Clubs, $0.20 is saved for taxpayers and the society on costs they would have incurred for teenage pregnancies and births on a yearly basis;
• For every $1 spent by Boys & Girls Clubs in Ventura County, taxpayers save $0.33 on expenditures for the criminal justice system annually;
• For every dollar spent by the Boys & Girls Clubs in Ventura County, the economy benefits as much as $0.68 in the reduction of the cost of juvenile drinking;
• For every $1 spent by Boys & Girls Clubs in Ventura County, $11.10 in earnings are generated by parents who can keep their jobs due to the services of the Club;
• Clubs create 260 full-time equivalent jobs in the region and the annual operating budgets of the Clubs generate $23.6 million in regional economic output;
• For every $1 spent by the Clubs (donated, or invested in the Clubs), Boys & Girls Clubs in Ventura County generate $16.08 of positive economic impact in the region;

The study highlighted the following specific findings for BGCGCV:

• BGCGCV provides vital services to hundreds of families and their children in the area;
• BGCGCV programs that target the most areas of need included physical activity, nutrition education and violence prevention programs;
• Other BGCGCV programs meeting significant need included risky behavior such as alcohol or drug consumption or teenage pregnancy. These programs included “SMART Girls”, a small group health fitness prevention/education program and “Passport to Manhood”, promoting and teaching responsibility in the Clubs;
• Academic enrichment programs played an important role for parents with specific programs including STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) classes, summer school programs, Power Hour and more.

The reports resulted from analysis of and economic modeling based on data in areas such as budget, personnel, programming and membership. Shortly it will be available on the BGCGCV website (www.bgcconejo.org).

“This report quantifies the extraordinary economic and social impact Boys & Girls Clubs have in our region as a whole,” stated Crystal Nāone, CEO & President, Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Conejo Valley. “We encourage all our members, parents, donors, stakeholders, and the community to dig into the findings and share with those that they think would be interested,” she added.

About Jamshid Damooei, Ph.D.

Jamshid Damooei is Professor and Chair of Department of Economics, Finance and Accounting and Co-Director of the Center for Leadership and Values at California Lutheran University. He currently serves as the Interim Director for the Master of Public Policy and Administration (MPPA) Program. Prior to joining California Lutheran University, Dr. Damooei served as Senior Economist for the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). Back in early 1980’s he was the Director General of the Department of Economic Studies and Policies of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Finance of Iran. During the last two decades he has become more focused on the economic analyses of social issues and published in professional and popular journals as well as books edited on such subjects/issues. His research endeavors on the topic of investing in children resulted in publication of multiple pioneering studies on the economic impact of Boys & Girls Clubs of America in several states and metropolitan areas within the USA. In all of his recent studies on children and youth, there is a strong emphasis on the impact of socio-economic status (SES) of children on their academic performance and social behavior and their opportunity to be successful in their lives as they grow up. He served as a consultant for a number of organizations such as Boys & Girls Clubs across various states, Public Health, First 5, United Way, Blue Cross, Blue Shield, various foundations within Ventura and LA Counties, and a number of other non-profit organizations.

About the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Conejo Valley

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Conejo Valley are open before and after school, during lunch, on weekends for sports leagues, throughout the summer for the camp program and all-day during school vacations with tours of the Clubs available upon request.  For more information about supervised youth programs, to donate, volunteer, or register online, please log onto www.bgcconejo.org or call 818-706-0905.

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