DAVID WEHRMEISTER BOYS & GIRLS CLUB DEDICATION 

Former Executive Director Dave Wehrmeister has Club at Sherman Elementary named in his honor 

For Immediate Release 

Contact Information: 

Matt Reny 

419.367.3367

matt@bgctoledo.org

TOLEDO, OH – June 8, 2021 — Boys & Girls Clubs of Toledo (BGCT) celebrated the dedication of the David Wehrmeister Boys & Girls Club at Sherman Elementary on Tuesday. Family, friends and colleagues of Wehrmeister were in attendance for the dedication of the Club. 

Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s (BGCA) President & CEO Jim Clark was present as well as former Toledo Club employee John Miller, who now serves as the Vice President, Affiliate Relations, for BGCA. Toledo Public School Superintendent Romules Durant, a Club alumnus, also spoke at the dedication. Wehrmeister spoke on his career with the Clubs and what this dedication means to him.

“I’m honored and humbled by the dedication. Thank you so much for being here... I joined the Club at the age of 10, and I never dreamed that I’d find a home away from home, a calling, or even to have my name on a Club,” said Wehrmeister. 

Both Clark and Miller spoke on the impact and dedication of Wehrmeister to the Boys & Girls Clubs movement both locally and nationally. 

“There are countless stories told and untold on Dave’s impact. He has saved and changed lives for over four decades here in Toledo and across the country,” said Miller, VP, Affiliate Relations, BGCA. 

“He [Wehrmeister] is respected by all. Colleagues, peers, volunteers, partners, sponsors, everyone respects Dave... You hear the words servant leader, that’s Dave Wehrmeister. The legacy and the impact that he will leave behind will go into perpetuity,” said Clark, President & CEO, BGCA. 

At 10 years old, Wehrmeister began as a Club member at the South Toledo Boys Club and little did he know, he would still be with the Clubs into the year 2020. Throughout his career, he was recognized and awarded each of the highest professional honors from Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) including but not limited to the Masters and Mentors and Thomas G. Garth Character and Courage awards.

Wehrmeister’s first job as a teenager was working as a coat check attendant for the South Toledo Club. During his final year of membership, he was awarded The State Boy of the Year for the state of Ohio. He turned his love for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Toledo into a career that has spanned over 45 years. 

Wehrmeister worked his way through nearly every position in the Toledo Clubs. In each position he learned from great mentors and leaders and excelled in youth programming. As Director of Operations, he spent his days working directly with Club directors and instructors, modeling program delivery and assisting staff in their professional development. 

In 2000, Wehrmeister became only the tenth Executive Director of the Toledo Clubs since its opening in 1892. Collaboration has been the emphasis of his tenure as Executive Director. He has worked tirelessly with the leadership of Toledo Public Schools to create a new model for service delivery. New Toledo schools were being built that now included full service Boys & Girls Clubs as part of the blueprint. Today, three new clubs exist inside of TPS buildings. In addition, the Club’s traditional site hosts an alternative school for TPS during the school day. 

When looking back at his career, Wehrmeister is most proud of the work that he did to train and inspire the dedicated staff members on his team. Many of them have continued on to become leaders in other Clubs and with the national organization. 

As a Club member and life-long staff member, he firmly believes and often says that he has “witnessed both personally and professionally the impact that the Club has on the lives of its members. The difference that the Club can make in a person’s life is significant. There is not a more a rewarding career than in Boys & Girls Clubs.”