Casper — Seven former Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Wyoming members were inducted into the organization’s Alumni Hall of Fame during a ceremony Wednesday, September 16, celebrating the lasting impact of the Club on their lives and the ways they have carried those lessons into their communities.
The 2026 Hall of Fame class includes Rachel Bouzis, Johnny Herman, Damarian Kelly, John Kornkven, Ally Orr, Michael Rickard and Chris Usry.
For Michael Rickard, who attended the Casper Boys Club as a child, the Club provided a foundation that stayed with him throughout his life and career.
“A kid can walk through your doors not knowing what they’re capable of and walk out with a foundation that holds for the rest of their life,” Rickard said. “I’m standing here because of that foundation.”
Rickard attended the Club during the late 1970s and early 1980s, where he participated in boxing and spent his summers while his single mother worked. One of his favorite Club memories involved selling more than 1,000 raffle tickets door-to-door. His effort earned him a bicycle, which he rode to the Club for many summers. He later became a Navy SEAL and eventually served as a Master Chief Petty Officer.
The same theme of belonging and the influence of caring adults came through throughout the ceremony.
“The people I remember, the people who made all the difference to me, were the people who showed up every day for the kids,” said Chris Usry, who attended the Club from 1991 to 1997. “You don’t hang out at the Club and work with kids for 20 years. You have to care about kids, and that’s what I remember.”
Usry went on to a career in education and now serves as Assistant Principal at Pathways Innovation Center. She said the Club’s staff members helped shape her confidence, character and desire to work with young people.
For Damarian Kelly, who attended the Club from 2006 to 2013, the relationships he formed with staff and other members continue to influence his life today.
“I was a Boys & Girls Club member. I am a Boys & Girls Club member, and will always be a Boys & Girls Club member,” Kelly said.
Kelly is now a professional boxer and small business owner and continues to mentor younger boxers, providing the same kind of encouragement and sense of belonging he experienced as a Club member.
The other members of the 2026 class reflected on the lasting lessons they gained through their Club experiences.
Johnny Herman, who attended the Boys Club from childhood through his early 20s, spoke about the sense of belonging the Club provided and the opportunities he had through its boxing program. Today, Herman serves as a chaplain at the Natrona County Jail.
“I’m accepting this today for all those little Johnny Hermans that will never get a chance to be up here,” Herman said.
John Kornkven, a former Club member from 1973 to 1979, also reflected on the Club as a place where young people from different backgrounds could come together.
“When you were in the Club, you belonged. It didn’t matter where you were from or who your family was. You just belonged,” Kornkven said.
Kornkven’s father, Bill “Big Bill” Kornkven, was the Club’s original boxing coach and had a lasting influence on young people in Casper.
Ally Orr, a Club member from 1998 to 2002, said her summers at the Club gave her much more than a place to play basketball.
“Those summers gave me so much more than a place to play basketball. They gave me community. They gave me teammates, mentors, and friendships that I still have today,” Orr said.
Orr went on to become an educator and soccer coach and continues to serve her community through coaching, volunteering and philanthropy.
Rachel Bouzis, who attended the Old Main Club from 2000 to 2003, reflected on how the Club’s summer basketball program exposed her to people and experiences she may not otherwise have encountered. Today, she serves as Director of Policy & Learning at the Natrona Collective Health Trust.
Bouzis is also now a parent and said she is grateful her daughter will have the opportunity to experience the same kinds of lessons she learned through the Club.
“We want her to be exposed to kids that she wouldn’t be exposed to, and learn lessons that you can only learn the hard way,” Bouzis said.
The Alumni Hall of Fame was established to recognize former Club members whose accomplishments and contributions reflect the lasting impact of their experiences at the Boys & Girls Club. Since 2023, 31 alumni have been inducted into the local Hall of Fame.
The seven inductees were formally recognized during the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Wyoming’s 28th Annual Awards & Recognition Breakfast at the Ford Wyoming Center before the Hall of Fame ceremony and luncheon at The Lyric.
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Wyoming began as the Casper Boys Club in 1969 and now serves young people across 11 Club sites in four Wyoming counties. Through after-school and summer programming, sports and fitness, academic support, career and workforce preparation, and other programs, the Club provides young people with opportunities to learn, grow and discover what they are capable of.
The 2026 Alumni Hall of Fame class is a reflection of that impact, with seven very different stories connected by a common experience: a place where they belonged, adults who invested in them and opportunities that helped shape who they became.
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