Happy Thanksgiving & Holiday Season
This Thanksgiving, we are thankful for you and your continued support!

Boys & Girls Clubs of Western Pennsylvania would like to wish all of our youth members, families, friends, and supporters a happy and healthy holiday!
With your support, Boys & Girls Clubs of Western Pennsylvania can reflect on 2020 as a year of opportunity, reaching even more youth, expanding into new communities, and serving more families than ever before with the adaption of our programming and creation of new initiatives including
'Club on the Go'.

As the COVID-19 pandemic and uncertainties continue for many youth, families and school districts, BGCWPA remains a critical lifeline for youth as a safe place for daily academic and virtual learning support, resources, enrichment programming, and mentoring support.
Less than 1 Week Until #GivingTuesday!
With #GivingTuesday quickly approaching on Tuesday, December 1, BGCWPA would like to highlight more moments that matter - stories of our incredible youth members, distinguished alumni, staff members that have devoted decades to our mission, and donors that are ready to pave the way for the future of our programming!
Member Highlight:
Aislin
Join Carnegie Clubhouse member, Aislin, as she helps us to “ReMEMBER” the importance of being a Boys & Girls Clubs of Western Pennsylvania youth.

“My Story” is that I was raised at the Carnegie Clubhouse. When people ask me what age I started playing basketball, I say when I was born and they don’t know how to respond. Most of the time they just laugh because they think I’m joking around. But, I was there everyday from birth to when I got too old to play there anymore. To this day, I still go down to help out and watch. So yes, people can say I was actually raised in Collier, but in my heart the Carnegie Boys & Girls Club made me who I am today. 
Boys & Girls Clubs wasn’t just a place where I played basketball. It was and still is a second home to me. But, to most of the kids there that was their home. My mom was the mother figure they all had and needed. Those kids were my sisters and brothers. Boys & Girls Clubs is a family. 

Being raised in that environment taught me so many valuable lessons. The most important one being that we are all equal. Now, I never said we are the same, I am saying we were all treated the same. There is a difference. All the kids there came from different places. They all had a different home life, some good and sadly most bad. Their ages and height varied. Obviously I know we are not equal when it comes to things like that. But, we were all treated, which is the key word, equally. 

Basketball helped me understand the importance of being treated the same before most people and of course, those who still need to understand this. No one worried about anything else except having fun and playing basketball. None of that other stuff mattered, it wasn’t even a thought in anyone's heads. I got to see this first hand. I got to grow up where people loved each other for being themselves. I got to grow up where the heart of someone mattered more than their appearance. I got to grow up in a place where everyone felt safe because we were all family. I got to grow up at the Carnegie Boys & Girls Club where everyone was treated equally. 

Now, this is what made me who I am today. I promised myself that we would get that feeling in this world. The one Boys & Girls Clubs makes me have. I work hard everyday. I practice everyday. I better myself and educate myself everyday. So that one day, I will have a platform. I will be a voice everyone looks up to. I will be a female basketball player who is going to change the world.
Alumni Highlight:
Emmai Alaquiva

Meet an Alumnus of BGCWPA, Emmai Alaquiva, who has given back to BGCWPA in so many ways including his leadership in directing the 2020 Emmy Award Winning Video for Commercial Single Spot: 3Rs Poetry Slam for Boys & Girls Clubs of WPA!
Emmai is an Emmy Award-winning film director, composer and mentor known for his impact across mixed-media art platforms. Once homeless and one who occupied the unforgiving streets of Pittsburgh PA., Alaquiva shifted the trajectory of his life's path to become one of the most distinct trailblazers in the arena of creative arts. Emmai contributes his ability to survive and thrive to Boys & Girls Clubs of Western Pennsylvania when he shares, ““Boys & Girls Clubs of WPA felt like an extended set of arms that wrapped around me with unwavering care and keen safety. My experience there provided the pillars of what community was built on. BGCWPA anchored my discovery and first concepts of what “Better Together” truly means.” 

As a dedicated Alumnus of BGCWPA, Emmai gave his talents to create the Emmy award winning commercial, “ReMEMBER, ReIMAGINE, ReINVEST” that was written by our very own Juan Perez, Senior BGCWPA Senior Director, and performed by many Clubhouse members, staff, board members and supporters. Through spoken word and strong imagery, Emmai helped depict the impact BGCWPA can make on the future of local youth, much like in his own life. BGCWPA is so proud of our Alumni and their incredible ability to do #whateverittakes. Congratulations, Emmai! 

Multi-award decorated, Alaquiva is the CEO of Ya Momz House, Inc, co-founder of Hip-Hop On L.O.C.K. an appointee of the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts from Governor Wolf and curator of OpticVoices.
With Two Ways to Participate in #GivingTuesday this 2020!
How to Participate:

  • To learn more about how your support can help the youth of Western Pennsylvania, visit https://www.givebigpittsburgh.com/ between 12:00 AM and 11:59 PM on Tuesday, December 1, 2020.

  • Search “Boys & Girls Clubs of Western Pennsylvania” in the upper right hand search box.

  • Visit our profile and select "Donate" to support BGCWPA!
How to Participate:

  • To learn more about how your support can help the youth of Western Pennsylvania, visit https://www.givingtuesday.org between 12:00 AM and 11:59 PM on Tuesday, December 1, 2020.

  • Search "Boys & Girls Clubs of Western Pennsylvania" under participating organizations.

  • Enter your donation to support BGCWPA!
What Your Donation this #GivingTuesday Supports

$40: A food pantry box to the doorstep of a local family in need. 
$120: “Club on the Go” kits for two local families.
$250: Two weeks of full day programming for a local youth. 
$500: One month of gas to deliver pantry boxes and “Club on the Go” kits to local families.
$7,500: A meal for over 700 families facing food insecurity during COVID-19.