BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS
OF GREATER ST. LOUIS |
| GREAT FUTURES MOMENTS
E-News March 2020
Academic Success | Good Character & Citizenship | Healthy Lifestyles |
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Reflection from Dr. Flint Fowler
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Our highest priority remains the health and safety of our youth, staff, and volunteers and to this end made the difficult decision a few days ago to close all of our locations as a precaution. At this time, there is no reason to believe there are cases at any of our Boys & Girls Clubs sites however the advice from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and public officials in the St. Louis region, led us to this decision to prevent possible exposure or spread of the virus.We have plans to continue engaging our audiences through virtual programming using our BGCSTL Facebook page, our counselors will be connecting with youth and, our staff are using this time to complete online safety and program training, as well as plan for summer camps. Should you need anything, admin team members are still available by email and are checking voicemail regularly. Please do not hesitate to reach out, and we appreciate your patience.
YEAR IN REVIEW:Each year our dedicated professionals work determinedly to enroll and serve members at one of our nine Club sites. Last year was particularly special because we were able to open a new Club, the Teen Center of Excellence in Ferguson. Thanks to our many generous donors, we are now providing a unique set of experiences and activities to middle and high school students who need us most. I am pleased to share a few of the initiatives that made 2019 one of most productive in the history of Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater St. Louis. I look forward to working with each of you for many more years to positively impact the lives of St. Louis area youth!2019 Highlights• More than $8.7 million was raised to support Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater St. Louis programs and services.
• Record attendance and fundraising was achieved at the Jim Butler’s Charity Golf Classic. Thanks to our wonderful friends $350,000 was raised to support our vital Health & Life Skills programs which teach our Club kids how to live healthy and productive lives.
• After hearing the moving speeches of our Youth of the Year finalists, our Great Futures Gala guests rallied for our kids by raising their paddles to drive our Fund-A-Future to a record-breaking $167,000, ensuring that our members continue to receive Educational & Leadership programs.
• Frank Leta Automotive Group presented Danielle Kain, our 2020 Youth of the Year winner, with a car! She also received the Wanda and Michael DeHaven $5,000 scholarship plus a $4,000 renewable scholarship from Missouri State University and a celebratory dinner at the Saint Louis Club.
• The 12th annual Table For Four event broke both attendance and fundraising goals raising $128,000 and with 500 guests in attendance.
• Place to Become and Jerimiah Millbank Society donors were invited to a sneak peak of the new Teen Center of Excellence. One hundred twenty-five guests enjoyed a live band, delicious appetizers, tours and a culminating performance from our Teen members.
• The Place to Become Campaign moved closer to the finish line securing over $22M of the $25M goal.
• Secured a renewable $400,000 Fit and Fun grant from the Federal government for the Sports and Recreation program at all our sites.
• Opened the Teen Center of Excellence in Ferguson MO which offers afterschool and summer programs to teens and youth (ages 12-18) in the North County area. The Center, one of the first in the country, is 26,856 square feet, has three levels and includes a nutrition education center, outdoor garden, gym, intellectual commons, teen lounge, auditorium, music and art studios, office space and maker space. To date, over 100 teens registered as members!
• Media attention/coverage for the year was off the chart thanks to our media partners to include over 329 stories, covering an audience of over 231,138,636 and a publicity value of $1.75 million. Click here to view our media highlights.
• Remodeled the kitchen at the Herbert Hoover Club and transformed it into a commercial grade kitchen with specific equipment upgrades to better serve and provide training for our members. Staff worked with KAI (general contractor), Ford Hotel (kitchen equipment and design), Parkway Plumbing, TSI Electric, and Carr Flooring to complete the project. Commercial components included were installing a three compartment sink, a six burner electric range, dishwasher, hot food table, food warmer and refrigerator.
• Established a Board-led Safety Committee and hired a Director of Safety and Security to build, implement and manage initiatives designed to promote social and emotional safety for youth, staff and volunteers.
• Continued our partnership with Maryville University to include “A Week in the Life of a Maryville Student”, a five-day overnight experience for Club teens
• Teamed up with the ZAC Foundation to provide swim lessons and promote water safety to campers as well as launch a new “Drowning Prevention Task Force” to reduce drowning by building a community-wide plan of action. Strategies will include teaching more children how to swim, increase access to pools, and monitoring progress.
• Once again BGCSTL was selected as one of the top Clubs in the country to implement the UPS Road Code teen safe driving program.
• Inducted five new former Club members into the BGCSTL Alumni Hall of Honor and celebrated staff, board members, volunteers and supporters for their commitment to our Club children at the Annual Recognition Event. |
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Teen Honored with Joan Silber Volunteerism & Leadership Award
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Congratulations to O’Fallon Park Club teen Lailah Green who was honored with the Joan Ellyn Silber Volunteerism & Leadership award and a $1,000 scholarship! Dr. Silber’s brother and sister-in-law established the award and endowment to celebrate her being one of the organization’s most dedicated board members and supporters.
Lailah is an 8th grade scholar at McKinley Classical Middle School with thirty hours of volunteering as a Peer Tutor and Keystone Club participant. Her favorite volunteer experience was a Keystone holiday community service activity at a local nursing home where she helped residents participate in making arts & crafts. She is currently the Secretary of Keystone at her Club. During her interview she spoke HIGHLY of how much Club Manager Kersten Mixon has impacted her life.
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Camp Registration Open for Kids & Teens
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Summer will truly be a fun and dynamic experience that will spark creativity, engagement, and exploration at nine BGCSTL camp locations! We offer one of the most affordable, high quality summer day camp experiences for kids and teens in the St. Louis region. Our summer campers, ages 6-18, are exposed to a variety of high-yield learning activities, and participate in educational, recreational, and social activities like swimming, teen and STEM programs, college and career readiness programs, sports, field trips and cultural activities on-site and in the community. Camps also include breakfast and lunch.At the Teen Center of Excellence, teens will have access to nutrition education, gardening, sports and fitness, team building, visual and performing arts, video and board games and more. Registration is now open. Click here for more information or call the Club closest to you.
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Ladies Lunch Supports Club Girls
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Thank you so much for supporting our Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater St. Louis Virtual Table for Four on March 13. With your help, we were able to raise essential funds to provide special programming for our young ladies here at the Club. In this time of uncertainty, it is good to be assured of your unwavering care and support of the children and families we serve. Special thanks to our 2020 Table for Four Chairpersons, Robyn Heidger, Emily Pitts and Erika R. Williams, the committee and guest speaker Mona Dixon. Hear her “thanks” to all Table for Four supporters, below.
In case you missed the virtual event or would like to view it again, click here to experience 16 minutes of inspiration!
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Jim Butler Golf Tournament
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This fun-filled tournament will be held on June 15, 2020 at the Country Club of St. Albans. The four-player scramble includes a round of golf, lunch, raffles, on-course games and food stations, cocktails, dinner, live auction and awards program. One of the most anticipated Club events of the year, the tournament helps increase awareness of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater St. Louis while raising critical funds to support Health & Life Skills programs. These programs cover areas like resistance skills training, teen pregnancy prevention, fitness and recreation, aquatics, nutrition, and more. Club members also benefit from free on-site dental and vision care. For more information, contact Darcy Callahan at 314-335-8011 or click here. To sponsor/register, click here. |
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Mentor Moment
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Thanks to our Mentor St. Louis volunteers for continuing their commitment to our Club members. Michelle Vinson, a mentor at Jefferson Elementary Mentor St. Louis location, noticed how excited her mentees, Brian B. and Ribbion S. were about the school’s book fair after a class visit. She reached out to our team member to get the kids wish list from the fair and purchased the books they wanted. Michelle says, “I love these young men, they are so excited about life and reading so I wanted to make their dream of getting some books at the Book Fair possible. It may not have been much but, it put smiles on their faces which is all I wanted.” “Thanks Ms. Michelle for the books!” said Brian and Ribbion in unison when asked what they wanted to say to Ms. Michelle for the great gift! To serve as a mentor (once Clubs have reopened), click here.
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| Grants Recognition |
| We appreciate the following grant partners for their gifts that strengthen our programs, click here for a full list. |
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“Most days at the Club you can find me engaged in the Music Studio or Robotics/STEM programs. The Club has been a constant source of support throughout my journey. During my eight years at the Club I’ve won the BGCA Hank Aaron Scholarship Award, allowing me to purchase STEM materials and equipment to provide sessions for elementary, middle, and high school club members; participated as a teen panelist at Harris Stowe State University’s Spark the Mind Advancing the Agenda for African Americans in STEM event; competed for the nationwide 2019 STEP Ahead Awards and won 1st Place in the high school division, which included an all-inclusive trip to Washington, D.C; and, spoke at several events sharing how the Boys & Girls Clubs has impacted my life. I also received the Joan Ellyn Silber Award for Volunteerism and Leadership!Danielle, 2020 Youth of the Year |
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LOCATIONS |
Adams Park Club
314.633.7900
4317 Vista Avenue
St. Louis, MO 63110Be Great Graduate – Normandy High School
6701 St. Charles Rock Road
St. Louis, MO 63121
636.675.9526Be Great Graduate – Roosevelt High School
3230 Hartford Street
St. Louis, MO 63118
314.335.8143Hazelwood Elem. School Club
314.335.8350
1025 Trampe Avenue
St. Louis, MO 63136Herbert Hoover Club
314.335.8000
2901 N. Grand Ave.
St. Louis, MO 63107O’Fallon Park Club
314.932.1371
4343 West Florissant
St. Louis, MO 63115
Riverview Gardens Club
314.335.8275
174 Shepley Drive
St. Louis, MO 63137
Southeast Middle School Club
314.953.7795
918 Prigge Road
St. Louis, MO 63138
Teen Center of Excellence
314-335-8240
9200 West Florissant
St. Louis, MO 63136
Special Initiatives
Mentor St. Louis
St. Louis Internship Program
Newsletter Contact
For more information or with questions, contact Shuntae Shields Ryan,
VP, Marketing & Communications via phone 314.335.8009 or email. |
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