Tim Motts has called the West Coast home his whole life. His journey with the Boys & Girls Clubs (BGC) brought him from Southern California to Oahu, and finally, to Bellevue, where he currently resides with his family and serves as President & CEO of BGC Bellevue.

Tim, the oldest of five kids, was born and raised in Southern California and enjoyed spending his time supporting others. He began working with the YMCA at a young age and continued through college. "I loved connecting with the youth, and I had aspirations of doing that more in my future,” he shared. Tim became CEO of BGC in LA in 2006 and has been with clubs ever since.

Around 2012, Tim had an opportunity to be CEO of BGC Hawaii. He and his wife moved to Oahu, and Tim took on the 14 BGC Clubhouses while starting their family. Their three boys were born in Oahu, the youngest of whom has special needs. “We started talking to folks about the services available in Hawaii for kids with special needs, and what places had more services available. We were looking closely at Washington, and Bellevue popped up with Inspiration Playground,” Tim explains. Inspiration Playground, located in Downtown Bellevue, is a collaboration between the City of Bellevue and the Rotary Club to create an inclusive environment for kids of all ages and abilities to play together.

When Tim got the chance to explore the opportunity of President & CEO for Bellevue Clubs, it took serious consideration. “I had always dreamed about living in the community I worked in,” Tim shared. “LA and Oahu were longer commutes to get from my home to the office. Now, being a Bellevue resident while working in Bellevue is a dream come true.”

As President & CEO of BGC Bellevue, Tim’s job is the overall management and leadership of the organization and supporting the 140-plus staff working in the 18 Bellevue clubhouses. From preschool to teen services, BGC Bellevue sees over 16,000 kids coming through its doors in some capacity. Whether for academic support, food availability, computers, sports, workforce development, or hanging out with friends, BGC Bellevue gives youth a safe, welcoming environment where they can just be kids. “The Bellevue branch has been open for almost 70 years,” said Tim. “It was made to respond to the specific needs of Bellevue residents.” The Bellevue clubhouses are always busy, and they remain one of the 100 largest BGC organizations in the country.

“Bellevue is relatively smaller in population compared to LA and Oahu, so it was super rewarding to see that Bellevue has the same opportunities to provide safe places for kids after school. I love digging into those challenges of how we can educate our community and come together to do even more than we already are. As Bellevue’s demographics have shifted, BGC Bellevue constantly adapts to meet changing needs. Our programs are designed to support children from all cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds, ensuring that every child has access to the resources and opportunities they need to succeed in this diverse and dynamic environment," Tim continued.

Even throughout the pandemic, BGC Bellevue did not close its doors. “Our community rallied and helped raise over $3 million to keep the doors open for kids who needed us most,” shared Tim. In some ways, the pandemic accelerated their goals of serving more kids. The clubhouses got busier, and their available services expanded.

In Tim’s time with the club, BGC Bellevue has nearly tripled the scholarships provided, given the exploding need and requests from families who would not otherwise have a childcare option. Even still, there is a waitlist of families living well below the poverty line waiting for their requests to be approved if BGC Bellevue’s budget is expanded with additional funding. “The secret sauce is having caring adults who will meet you where you are and having a wide variety of kid-centric activities for youth to pick and choose from,” Tim explained. “My own kids go to BGC Bellevue after school every day because they get to have so many unique experiences they wouldn’t have otherwise.”

Tim encourages anyone interested in learning more about Boys & Girls Clubs of Bellevue to come down for a tour. “When we talk about BGC Bellevue, we talk about it taking a village,” said Tim. “We’ve seen multiple generations come through the club over the last 70 years, and we want to ensure our doors are open for every child in the future.” 

Visit www.bgcbellevue.org to connect with Tim and the BGC Bellevue team and get involved.