East Dallas Boys & Girls Club member Almira Akinpelu became a member of the Club at the age of nine. Now, she is a junior in high school and pursuing the Girls Scout Gold Award. As part of the requirements for the award, she needed to select a community service project. She chose the East Dallas Boys & Girls Club. Almira says, “When I thought about where I wanted to complete my community service, I decided that I wanted to give back to the place that has given so much to me. ”

Working with Branch Director Syreeta Pritchett, Almira founded a book club for nine-year-old girls at the East Dallas Boys & Girls Club. Currently, the book club meets twice a week. Almira creates all of the lesson plans and worksheets, guides members in their book selections and serves as the book club moderator. Books selections are made from the East Dallas Boys & Girls Club library, and she has members take turns reading aloud or acting out scenes from the books. Her goal is to create a strong foundation in reading comprehension for the youth in her book club while making it fun for the girls.

Almira participates in Collegiate STEPS, SMART Girls and Keystone Club. She plans to study in the healthcare field after high school graduation.