After more than 5 decades, Joliet Boys & Girls Club employee retires

An 83-year-old Joliet man retired at the end of December after serving the same nonprofit for 56 years and 11 months.

Frank Bati worked in youth development and programming at the Boys & Girls Club of Joliet. He also maintained the club’s Olympic-sized swimming pool, the only such pool on Joliet’s east side, said Chantel Gamboa, executive director of the Boys & Girls Club of Joliet.

Bati actually joined the club in 1954, when he was 14, and he stayed until he was 18.

He said he will miss the club but “it’s about time I took a break.”

“I have some things at home I need to care of, and then I’m going to keep busy,” Bati said. “I’m the kind of person who can’t sit still.”

Gamboa said she was surprised to learn about Bati’s long history when she came to the Joliet club as executive director in 2023.

“His institutional knowledge and his wisdom really helped me transition into the role,” Gamboa said. “There were a lot of things that I, as I was acclimating myself to the club, was not aware of. He was able to provide some guidance.”

Gamboa said the Boys & Girls Club serves 100 to 150 youth during the summer and 50 to 75 during the school year. Club dues are $10 a year, which is waived if a family cannot afford it.

When Bati joined, dues were $1, and membership was between 30 and 40 kids, mostly Bluff Street neighborhood kids, Bati said.

“It was a place for me to go after school,” Bati said. “What I [did] was go home, get something to eat and go to the club every night. It was three blocks from my house, and I enjoyed playing sports. I liked playing basketball with my friends.”

Bati said the club hired him in 1967 after a chance meeting with the executive director.

“He put me in charge of the game room,” Bati said. “I was familiar with the club since I was a member, and I just stepped right in. I handled the game room and did all the programming – whatever needed to be done. I enjoyed the work.

“I enjoyed being around the kids. … I did ceramics and all kinds of things. I ran the gym. I ran the basketball program.”

[ Joliet Boys & Girls Club recognizes employee's 50 years of service ]

Bati became assistant director in 1970 and remained in that position for 50 years.

He said he is glad the club is still around, mainly because the youth experience today is more challenging than he experienced growing up.

“We didn’t have issues with guns,” Bati said. “We didn’t have issues with gangs. We didn’t have issues with people bothering us on the street. [I’m] not saying those things didn’t happen, but those things seemed to have gotten worse.

“The people who do bad things have increased, too. The kids have to be careful today. In the old days, I walked home at 11 at night, and no one bothered me. Now, you can’t let kids go out at 7 and walk home.”

For some kids, the Boys & Girls Club is their only outlet and safe space, a place to happily engage in activities with peers and a place to talk with an adult who cares, Bati said.

He said in his experience, youth are searching less for answers than for caring adults.

“They’re searching for people who are going to talk to them, be nice to them, understand them and be like a parent to them, especially a parent away from home,” Bati said. “That’s basically what we are. We support the parents and, hopefully, we have a positive effect on the kids.”

He had as much love for the kids as they had for him. He will be truly missed.”

—  Chantel Gamboa, executive director of the Boys & Girls Club of Joliet

Bati recalled the happiness of two club members – siblings and “nice kids” – when a Chicago couple adopted them.

“You had to see the joy in their eyes when they [found] out that somebody really cared for them and was going to take care of them for the rest of their lives,” he said.

Gamboa said she asked club members to share their memories about Bati. They had many, including teaching them to play pool and serving them meals, she said.

“Our kids saw the value in that mutual level of respect,” Gamboa said. “He had as much love for the kids as they had for him. He will be truly missed.”

Bati offered some parting advice for anyone who works with youth.

“Kids retain the things you say to them,” Bati said. “So whenever you talk to kids, always be positive – always.”