Ke'la Scuefield Wins Twin Cities Youth of the Year
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On Thursday, January 30, our seven Twin Cities "Youth of the Year" candidates had the opportunity to make formal presentations in front of our Board of Directors at the UnitedHealth Group headquarters in Minnetonka, MN.
Ke'la Scuefield
, our Patrick Henry Club candidate, captivated the room with her speech and scored the Twin Cities "Youth of the Year" nomination - and a standing ovation! Ke'la will go on to represent Boys & Girls Clubs of the Twin Cities at the Minnesota "Youth of the Year" awards on Monday, March 16, 2020.
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We also strongly applaud Angelina, Josh, Jaqueline, Nevaeh, Ameer, and Jaelynn for representing their respective Clubs with such grace and determination. Every candidate did an amazing job on their presentation, and we are so proud! Thank you to Associate Board member Kendall Kolinski and BGCTC Board members Megan Scheller and Robert Taylor for serving as our judges this year - it certainly was no easy task!
Congratulations, Ke'la!
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Over the holiday season, we reached out to our supporters to help us
Give in Gratitude
to strengthen our Clubs and acknowledge everything we are thankful for. With your help, we were able to raise over
$100,000
for the Clubs, doubling the generous
$50,000
match put forth by
Al & Kathy Lenzmeier!
These dollars go directly back into the Clubs and help us provide valuable opportunities for our youth.
We want to thank everyone who donated, reached out to your networks, and helped spread the word about our holiday campaign! We are so grateful for every single one of our supporters; our Clubs would not be the same without you!
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Celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. Day at our Clubs
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In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day on January 20, Karima Christmas-Kelly and Assistant Coach Katie Smith of the
Minnesota Lynx
visited our Jerry Gamble Club to lead a special art project! Club youth created individual art pieces to describe what Black History Month means to them. The artwork will be displayed at all Minnesota
Timberwolves
home games during the month of February!
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At our Mt. Airy Club, we were very fortunate to host a half-day girls' workshop directed by
Empower Leadership Academy
and sponsored by the Minnesota Vikings. Our young women spent the day with the Empower Team and the Vikings cheerleaders while building new leadership skills, developing confidence, and learning ways to support each other!
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Reading to Learn at Jerry Gamble
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The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Twin Cities'
Literacy Program
helps to ensure that all members are reading at their appropriate grade level and mastering the skills necessary to transition from
learning to read
to
reading to learn.
Hands-on, multi-sensory literacy activity stations for all K-3 members focus on phonics, spelling, language structure, and vocabulary to reinforce skills needed in reading. Pull-out reading groups utilizing the Sonday Reading System provides intensive small group literacy instruction for K-6 members who have been assessed as needing focused reading support. The program utilizes the Fastbridge FAST reading assessment tool that measures reading scores as compared to national benchmark scores for grade level: High Risk (20th percentile and below), Some Risk (21st-30th percentile), Low Risk (31st-85th percentile), and College Pathway (above 85th percentile).
A number of third grade youth at our Jerry Gamble Club have shown remarkable development in their reading and comprehension skills! Meet three of our young Club members who have progressed out of the High Risk category in the last calendar year:
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Ziggy
Zacchaeus (Ziggy), a persistent and determined reader, improved his cumulative score by 35 points between September and January. He has progressed from High Risk into the College Pathway category!
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Orlando
Orlando loves reading group; in fact, when offered a choice between an extra reading activity or going to gym class, he chose to stay with his reading group! He increased his score by 40 points since September, and he has progressed into the Some Risk category.
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Madella
Madella, an energetic and active youth, learns especially well when the activity involves movement and when he gets to read out loud. His cumulative score increased by 35 points since September, and he has improved from High Risk into the Low Risk category!
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Celebrating Black History Month with the Minnesota Timberwolves
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In honor of Black History Month, the Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx Book Mobile will be visiting four of our Clubs across the Twin Cities during the month of February. Thank you to the Timberwolves, Lynx, and
FastBreak Foundation
for connecting our youth with this exciting educational opportunity!
Visit the Book Mobile:
- East Side Club: Friday, Feb. 7
- Jerry Gamble Club: Monday, Feb. 10
- Mt. Airy Club: Thursday, Feb. 20
- Southside Village Club: Monday, Feb. 24
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Thanks for Joining Us on the Ice!
We want to thank everyone who made
Skate the Star
another big success this year! With the help of our volunteers, partners, and the 12,000 skaters who joined us at the Mall of America's ice rink throughout December and January, we raised nearly
$75,000
to support our Clubs. We're very grateful for our strong partnership with the
Mall of America
as well as for the support of Pepsi, TCF Bank, and Minnesota Ice during this year's Skate the Star event. We also give a big Thank You to a dedicated supporter who put forth a generous match in December to help each donation go further for the Clubs!
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Spring Thaw
Saturday, March 7, 2020
Quincy Hall
Please join us for the 8th Annual Spring Thaw Gala at the NEW Quincy Hall in Northeast Minneapolis! You won’t want to miss out on this fun-filled night hosted by our
Associate Board
, BGCTC’s Young Professionals Network! The evening will include exciting live and silent auctions, delicious food and drinks, casino games, music, and more.
Proceeds from this annual fundraiser directly support BGCTC’s mission to enable ALL young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens.
For questions regarding sponsorship, please contact Director of Special Events Amy Kuehn at
[email protected]
or 651-200-4107.
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Great Futures Fair
Tuesday, March 31, 2020
Jerry Gamble Club
The
Great Futures Fair
seeks to connect passion with purpose. Teens and young adults from across the Twin Cities will have the opportunity to meet with local corporations, businesses, colleges, tech schools, and trade unions as they begin to plan their post-secondary paths. The fair will educate and introduce teens to the multitude of employment and educational opportunities that exist across the metro area and allow prospective employers and educators to interact first-hand with the next generation of employees and students.
Stay tuned for updates on our vendors, schedule, speakers, and more!
For questions regarding teen outreach and attendance, please contact Andréa Carroll-Franck at
[email protected]
or 651-200-4114. For questions regarding vendors or sponsorship information, please contact Tim Schober at
[email protected]
or 651-200-4108.
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Join Our Team
Are you looking for a career where you can make a big difference in the lives of kids and our communities? Our Clubs are in need of Education Specialists, Teen Specialists, program staff, facility staff, and more! Check out our current job listings to see how YOU can get involved!
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