COAST GUARDSMAN INDUCTED INTO HALL OF FAME

(Courtesy of The Coast Guard Compass blog)
http:coastguard.dodlive.mil

Commander Daniel Travers was recently inducted into the Boys & Girls Club of America's Alumni Hall of Fame as an alum of the Marlboro Boys Club in Massachusetts.

The commanding officer of Coast Guard Air Station Detroit joins the likes of distinguished alumni Bill Cosby, Michael Jordan, Brad Pitt, President Bill Clinton, Martin Sheen, Neil Diamond, and Denzel Washington as former participants now in the Hall of Fame. Travers was inducted into the Class of 2010 alongside Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins and boxer "Sugar Ray" Leonard.

CDR Travers tells the Compass, "The Marlboro Boys Club provided me with the opportunity to learn lifelong leadership skills in a safe environment while also instilling a strong sense of community service. It clearly helped me become the person I am today as a leader in the Coast Guard and in my local community. I am forever indebted and grateful for all that the Boys Club has done for me and for my family."

According to their website, the Boys & Girls Club of America programs and services "promote and enhance the development of boys and girls by instilling a sense of competence, usefulness, belonging and influence." CDR Travers is a living example of the success of those programs and credits his time at the Club with developing into the young man who would go on to become a Coast Guard officer.

"Had I not been a member of the Marlboro Boys Club for 10 years, I would not have had the opportunity to learn the leadership skills and perform the community service that I believe were instrumental in me being selected to attend the U. S. Coast Guard Academy Class of 1990."

Travers joined the Marlboro, Mass. Boys Club in 1975 as an 8-year-old. He was an active participant in Boys Club athletics and in the Torch and Keystone Clubs - serving as president of the latter. Travers early development as a leader - which he says was a direct result from his time on sports teams, was recognized when he was named Massachusetts Youth of the Year in 1983.

One of the qualifications for a Hall of Famer is extensive community service. Travers career has not afforded him many opportunities to interact with local Boys & Girls Clubs, but it hasn't stopped him from giving back. As a CGA cadet, he was a Big Brother for four years as part of the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization in New London, CT. And, he has continued to give back both as a very involved father (youth baseball coach, youth soccer coach, Cub Scout leader and Boy Scout leader) and as a compassionate member of the communities where he has been stationed (Habitat for Humanity home builder and as a board member for a women's shelter).

As a Coast Guard leader, Travers has shared his passion for volunteerism with those under his command.

"I have highly encouraged those under my command and past duty stations to get heavily involved as a volunteer in their communities. I had two officers who took the initiative to coordinate with the local Habitat for Humanity office to build a home using an all-volunteer Air Station Detroit workforce. The 3,000+ hours of volunteer time that we put into the project was well worth it. It was an incredible experience for all of us to complete this project and to realize that we did something that aided a family to get off the street and into their own home. It is definitely one of the highlights of my tour at Air Station Detroit."