Born and raised in Northwest Indiana, and a resident of Portage Indiana for the past twenty-five years, Steve Letick has always been dedicated to the people in his community.
As a father of a seven year old, Letick has found himself especially dedicated to the children of his community, and is able to help them more than ever before through his job. Previously employed as a steel worker, Letick decided he needed a different job when a rush of lay-offs swept through the mill at which he was employed.
"I was in the midst of figuring out my career path when, one day, I was driving by the Portage Boys and Girls Club and saw a 'Help Wanted' sign on their marquee out front," Letick said. "I thought about what that kind of position would entail and realized that it would be extremely rewarding to be able to help out the youth in my community. It would be a position where I would have a direct positive impact on a young person's life, and that it was something I was looking for."
After being offered the position and beginning work there, he knew that there was no other work that he wanted to do. There could be nothing more rewarding that the opportunity to be a positive role model and mentor to someone.
"Being a positive role model and mentor feels right to me and I wouldn't change a thing," Letick said. "I've also thoroughly enjoyed getting to know the parents and families of our members over the last eight years. I firmly believe in that saying that, 'it takes a village to raise a child,' because after all, we have a responsibility as a society to ensure the success of these children in the future."
Since taking up work at the Portage Boys and Girls Club eight years ago, Letick was offered the job of Unit Director where he is ultimately responsible for everything that goes on in the building. Offering a number of programs in the Portage Club branch, Letick and his team are very persistent in making sure that these programs are highly effective and of the highest quality so as to better benefit the children of their community. The programs range from education and arts to athletics and life skills with many in between.
"Without the hard work and dedication from our staff, we could not accomplish what we strive to achieve on a daily basis," Letick said. "I am very fortunate to have such a great team here and together we provide impactful programming for our members."
In his free time, Letick enjoys spending time in the outdoors and participating in various seasonal activities. He also enjoys spending as much time as he can with his family and his daughter as well as walking the local trails with his dog Boomer.