Jennifer Marzocca retired from the Navy as a chief petty officer in 2010.

Since then, she’s done anything but sit still.

Having achieved her bachelor’s and master’s degrees, Marzocca has been spending her time earning her doctorate in education, while working full time at the Island County Clerk’s Office in Coupeville.

She also volunteers as a mentor for the Island County Drug Court program and on the advisory board for the Coupeville Boys and Girls Club, as well as being a mother of three.

“It’s so much easier to just give, and … it’s hard to sit still when you’ve been so busy your whole life anyway,” Marzocca said.

She joined the advisory board at the Boys and Girls Club after her initial experience wasn’t very positive.

She enrolled her daughter, Chloe, in the club so she’d have a place to go after kindergarten where she could socialize with her friends. Marzocca, however, wasn’t pleased with the way things were run under that management, so pulled her daughter out.

“It took about a year for me to recognize that this is all that Coupeville has and, if we want our children to have a safe place where they can learn and grow and develop into strong, healthy, smart, capable teens and adults, that I could be a part of the solution rather than turn my back on the only resource available,” she said.

When she returned to the club, there was new management, and already things were vastly improved, according to Marzocca.

She joined the advisory board after re-enrolling her daughter in the club.

“I think it’s just so amazing what’s going on there now,” she said. “The director and the staff are just all so remarkable.”

Now, as part of her doctorate education, she is required to help bring about a transformational change in an organization she’s a part of. Marzocca chose the club, with the goal of enhancing the teen program.

“The elementary school aspect of the club is already in place,” she said. “I don’t aim to take anything away from the elementary, only add to the value of the club as it relates to the teens.”

Marzocca has been working with Jamie Scharich, the club’s director, and Robin Wilson, the teen program coordinator, to enhance these programs.

They’re working on planning focus groups and workshops to train the staff and “address the various needs teens have,” as well as working to set up job shadow and internship opportunities for teenagers wanting to get some experience in the workforce.

“It’s more than a school project for me,” Marzocca said. “This is a lifetime project.”

Marzocca said her time in the Navy has helped her better understand how to help children from military families whose mother or father is deployed.

“I would say that it helps to be relevant,” she said. “I’ve been there, done that, I know how it feels and I know how we can help them adjust to the absence.”

Marzocca said she wanted to work on this transformative program because there aren’t a lot of options for teenagers in Coupeville.

“There’s a demographic of teens who’s being missed,” she said. “If you’re not in sports and you’re not in band, then there’s really nothing for you.”

If Marzocca, Scharich and Wilson have their way, that won’t last much longer.

“I appreciate what the Boys and Girls Club can do for the kids that may be missing a mom or a dad for extended periods,” said Marzocca. “And they do fill a gap, they do provide a place for kids to be themselves, to learn new things, not just the teenagers, but all of them. And they’re very military-family friendly.”