Follow Through

Growing up in Wooster, Ohio, Tom Shapiro attended the YMCA and was involved in the Boy Scouts from elementary school to high school, achieving its highest rank of Eagle Scout. “I'm a big believer in youth programs,” he says. “If we get them when they're young, they might not need as many social services programs later on.”

Shapiro, the owner and president of Sarasota-based countertop manufacturer Sterling Manufacturing, says his involvement in youth programs allowed him to see firsthand what youth organizations can do. “In a similar way,” he says, “Boys & Girls Clubs teaches life skills.”

He got involved with the organization after Sarasota homebuilder, philanthropist and prominent BCG supporter Lee Wetherington asked him to join him on a tour of the club. Shapiro says, “I liked the way the kids were engaged with the leadership,” and the “mutual respect between the two groups.”