After 21 years as director, Francisco “Paco” Fuentes is saying goodbye to Boys and Girls Clubs of the Midlands, leaving behind a culture of solidarity, respect, love and discipline. Now, he works on a new challenge as the community outreach director for Goodwill Omaha, an organization of second hand stores serving the greater Omaha area.
El Perico sat down with Fuentes at Guaca Maya, 5002 S. 33rd St., one of his favorite restaurants in South Omaha, to learn about his next endeavor now that he’ll no longer lead the Club in which he grew up.
“After 21 years, I felt it was time for a change,” he said in his slow, paternal voice, pausing from eating. “It was very hard to leave the organization, the staff, the kids and parents, but I thought it would be good to try out another career before retiring.”
His career as director of the Boys and Girls Clubs was a challenge he had been eager to take on. As a member of the Air Force for 20 years (from the age of 18 to 38) who retired with the rank of Master Sgt., he carries in him the punctuality, respect, organization and discipline of a military man.
Fuentes got to know the South Omaha Boys and Girls Club in 1968— when he was ten years old and the organization was only for boys—thanks to his friend and neighbor Franki Pyzdek who invited him to be part of the club. In 1995, the club started to accept girls.
“I was there all day, and there were ping pong tables, a swimming pool, a gym, as well as soccer and basketball fields. All that for a dollar a year, all year long, five days a week. That was the price at the time. I fell in love with that place, so I went and asked my father to pay and he did it because he knew I would be fine there,” he said.
For a working-class family like his, the Boys and Girls club offered opportunities to explore and play, regardless of money. The club maintains that goal to this day, but the cost now is $30 a year for families, instead of $1.
A young Fuentes spent eight years at the club, until he finished high school and joined the Air Force.
The 21 years
After retiring from the Air Force and before becoming director at Boys and Girls, he worked for 18 months as a printing technician at the Omaha World Herald newspaper. Back then Paco formed a group called Greater Omaha Mexican-American, which his friend Alberto “Beto” Gonzalez joined, whose purpose is to serve and support the Latino community.Fuentes mentioned that one Sunday afternoon, they were going to talk about where to meet for their next monthly meeting.
“Beto told me that the South Boys and Girls was going to undergo some renovations, and that when things would be ready, they could meet there. I said: great! I haven’t been back there since I was a kid. It was then when he mentioned they were looking for a new director.”
Gonzalez told Fuentes the club sought a director with some specific characteristics: male, Latino and bilingual.
“Well, that’s me,” Fuentes said.
“Are you interested?” Gonzalez asked.
“Could be,” Fuentes told him.
“On Monday morning they called and asked me to visit the club, and it was precisely the club where I grew up,” Fuentes said.
He didn’t think twice, and accepted the job.
His military life and the importance of discipline had left a mark on him— but now, he would work with children and volunteers, not fellow airmen. He had to find a way to adapt, and his love of art and music led him to seek strategies to capture everyone’s attention.
“I became like a father to all of them,” he said. “Military life is very different and strict; (the Boys and Girls Clubs) had a culture, one I created with everyone’s collaboration. Working with civilians is different. They tell you that if a meeting is at three in the afternoon, you should wait 15 minutes for the room to fill up. I realized that if you take care of people, then you will see positive things,” he said.
Still, at the Boys and Girls Fuentes found a disciplined, organized atmosphere in some cases. He mentioned an anecdote of how signs that said “Do Not Enter” were not needed, because the children knew that if someone from the staff was not there, then they could not enter.
“That is part of the culture,” he said.
Behind his history as Master Sgt. and director, Fuentes is a man of art and music. He likes Mexican cinema, Caribbean and jazz music and his favorite movie is The Godfather.
Now the club is managed by Tony González who has worked with Fuentes and with whom he maintains a close friendship.
Fuentes says goodbye with the best and fondest memories of the organization. He states that he is a man who likes challenges, so he decided to take over the leadership of the Goodwill community program, which he says he is excited to promote.