No one can doubt the veracity of Justin Duran’s belief in the Boys & Girls Clubs system.

Duran is a product of that system and proudly espouses its benefits to anyone who will listen, especially parents.

“Growing up in the clubs, I always knew I wanted to make that my full-time career,” he says.

Duran recently took over as branch director of the Mary Ellen and Robert McKee Branch of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale.

Duran knows full well the McKee Branch is a bit off the beaten path in Fountain Hills, since the facility is located at Del Cambre and Calaveras avenues, next to the shuttered Four Peaks School campus.

“We will be strengthening our programming and getting back to a lot more of the basics at this club,” Duran says.

“We’re not right in the heart of Fountain Hills, but we want to get the word out to the community.

“We are here and we are open.”

The branch is currently in the middle of its summer day camp, but Duran is already doing much strategic planning for the fall – once school starts – and beyond.

Duran, 29, seemed destined for a position such as this.

He has been a part of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale “system” since he started attending a branch as a kindergartner.

Through the years he advanced through the organization both as a student and then an adult, becoming a Leader in Training, a junior staff member, a program instructor, a branch athletic director and in 2012 he was named youth development supervisor at the Piper branch.

It was at that very Virginia G. Piper Branch where Duran was named “Youth of the Year” in 2003.

He was promoted to branch manager in Fountain Hills just prior to the Memorial Day weekend.

Duran graduated from Northern Arizona University with a degree in parks and recreation management. He helped at clubs during college and in the summers.

The McKee Branch has six full-time employees and 18 part-time employees. There are 10 branches within the Greater Scottsdale area.

“I’m working on strategic planning for the fall, building community partnerships and getting our facility back up to full potential,” Duran said.

“We will show what the core of a Boys & Girls club branch can be. I’m excited to be here in Fountain Hills and sharing the excitement we have among the kids here.

“We have quality programming, it is a quality staff team and this is a quality facility.

“I have a feeling we can grow exponentially. I’m really excited for the opportunity to be here and be a branch director.

“I want to meet the community leaders, and we want to make the McKee Branch a household name.

“We’re getting back to what the Boys & Girls Clubs are all about.”

Many think just “after school” when it comes to the Boys & Girls Clubs, but Duran said there are many opportunities beyond that, especially when it comes to athletics and teen programming.

The facility has been featuring “open gym” on Mondays and Wednesdays from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m., which has proved popular.

“Sports is a huge opportunity for us,” Duran says, “along with our teen center.”

The organization’s website says, “The Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale provides a positive, safe and fun environment to help 17,800 youth of all ages and backgrounds develop the qualities needed to reach their full potential.

“The club offers more than 100 youth development programs emphasizing five core areas including the arts; character and leadership development; education and career development; health and life skills; and sports, fitness and recreation.

(We) provide youth development services that instill strong core values and life enhancing skills in a safe environment. The programs help promote healthy lifestyles, good character and academic success.”

The McKee Branch in Fountain Hills can be reached at (480) 344-5400.