Baker Tilly Wishes
California dream
Boys & Girls Club of Buena Park, California
Partner Hank Kahrs’s mom ran a nursery school for 40 years. “I grew up surrounded by a sea of kids,” he said. Although Hank’s own sons are grown now, he still loves the energy he gets from working with young people. “As a forensic accountant, I’m kind of a grump,” he jokes, “but when I’m working with kids or playing music, it really gets me going.”
More on Hank’s love of music later, but it was his involvement with coaching and sports that first connected him to the Boys & Girls Club of Buena Park, California, the organization that will receive a 2021 Baker Tilly Wishes grant.
For years, Hank coached youth baseball and soccer, and he enjoys playing softball himself. It was a teammate of his, 15 years ago, who asked for Hank’s help with a thorny issue at the local Boys & Girls Club. “The board members suspected the CEO was stealing money,” said Hank, who was persuaded by his friend to get involved.
Hank used his forensic accounting skills to uncover the truth: severe financial abuse on the part of the club’s CEO. “It became our small-town story of the year,” said Hank. “The best part was, not only were we able to get the CEO fired, but we also recovered all the money he had stolen.”
Naturally, Hank was asked to join the board.
A haven for kids
Hank quickly became involved in the Boys & Girls Club, which provides a wide variety of educational and social services for children, including supporting homeless kids.
“The club has amazing mentorship programs for teens, and with remote schooling during COVID, has been responsive to the special needs of homeless kids who are living in motels or cars and don’t have access to computers or the internet,” said Hank. The club has set up computers for teens and partnered with local schools to provide extra academic support.
As an avid music fan with some connections to the music business, Hank began organizing annual gala fundraisers that featured some heavy hitters including Mike Viola (singer in the film “That Thing you Do”), Traffic’s Dave Mason, and the late, great Eddie Money.