Good News Newsletter | December 2019
P.O. Box 40217, Tucson, AZ 85717 | www.BGCTucson.org | 520.573.3533
A Message from Debbie Wagner, CEO
During this season of gratitude, I am continually touched by the service and generosity of our amazing community and business partners, sponsors, donors, Board and staff of Boys & Girls Clubs of Tucson. This month's newsletter highlights just some of the amazing ways in which generous individuals and organizations have come together with our team to support our deserving youth and the vital programs at BGCT.
Catalina Rotary awarded the organization a grant to re-purpose our under utilized training room at our Harold Ashton Resource Center, turning it into a creative arts space. The Creative Arts Center is now a dedicated space for our youth to experience fine art lessons, the performing arts and creative writing.
HeART Works, under the direction of Cindy Robertson, had the honor of being one of our first programs to utilize the Creative Arts Center to lead students from all six Clubhouses in the production of nearly 1000 beautifully crafted fine art pieces. The pieces were then offered for sale in October at the historic San Pedro Chapel to raise much needed funds to support fine art programming, across all our Clubhouse locations.
 
Another highlight was Coach Adia Barnes, head coach of the University of Arizona Women’s basketball program spearheaded the revival of our annual Girl Power Day and presented an incredibly empowering day for nearly 100 of our Club members at McKale Center this fall.
And as you may know, Coach Sean Miller and his wife, Amy, scored big for the Roy Drachman Clubhouse. The Millers have gifted a new gym floor and a new air conditioning unit. The new floor and air conditioning unit are expected to be in place by the end of February.
Through the support of the community and our partners, we were also able to serve more than 2,000 Thanksgiving meals to our youth and their families, as well as offer winter holiday parties at all six Clubhouse and present at least one gift to every member.
Our longtime partner and Club advocate, Tucson Electric Power again hosted its 22 nd annual shopping spree at Kohls for 120 of our kids, which provided many of our youth with clothing and shoes that were much needed. 

University of Arizona Athletics Men's Basketball Coach Sean Miller and Women's Basketball Coach Adia Barnes have also coordinated a joint event to celebrate our youth on December 27th which will include their respective teams to help bring in the new year. The Coaches rallied in preparing for the fun-filled evening to provide the youth with a toy-filled celebration, which included a Teddy Bear Toss at a recent women's game and a season ticket holder toy drive at the men's most recent game. More than 600 bears and 1,000 gifts were collected.
A heartfelt thank you goes out to all of you for these successes and many more like them throughout 2019, as they would not be possible without you.

As individuals and as a society, community service is an important measure of our progress. Without it, the quality of all of our lives would suffer. Giving back is a vital experience for those who choose to serve, as well as for our youth and families who benefit from it.
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world: indeed it's the only thing that ever has."  Margaret Mead
Thank you for continuing to light the way for our youth. Join us this month and into the new year through one or all of the many opportunities available to create "Great Futures!” for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Tucson young people and their families that we serve.

Best wishes for a wonderful holiday season.
Debbie Wagner, CEO
Supporting the Clubs
Supporting the Clubs this Holiday Season
Donate Your
Arizona Charitable Tax Credit
of up to $800 per household
to the Kids!
Every kid deserves a Great Future! Give the Gift of Membership!

Through the generous support of donors like YOU Boys & Girls Clubs of Tucson (BGCT) is able to provide affordable after-school programming to more than 4,100 Club members and more than 10,000 through its six Clubhouses and community outreach programs throughout Tucson annually. Club Membership is only $20 per school year per child, yet the true cost per member is more than $750.

For more than 60 years, Boys & Girls Clubs of Tucson has helped kids, especially those who need us most, build Great Futures! Using proven programs and resources, BGCT equips youth with pathways to success. As a result Club Members have the resilience and support to face challenges and achieve results. BGCT is a trusted partner in empowering children and is a leading Tucson charity. Thank you for your support!
It's Better to GIVE
AND to RECEIVE!
Hear from our Club Members as they take you on a tour of a Clubhouse and how it creates GREAT FUTURES:
Boys & Girls Clubs of Tucson is a qualifying charity for the Arizona Charitable Tax Credit. Your contribution may qualify for a dollar-for-dollar tax credit of up to $800 per family. QCO Code 20282

No investment is too great to ensure our children have great futures. THANK YOU!

Please consider passing this message on to your family and friends.
A Gift to Last a Lifetime or Remember a Loved One...The Blue Tile.

Boys & Girls Clubs of Tucson offers much more than quality supervision at an affordable cost. Character building and success in school are recurrent themes in all of our core programs. Our enrichment activities, such as sports leagues, performing and fine arts, also form an integral part of the learning experience. Families truly depend on us to take an active and positive roll in their children’s lives. Taking on this important role means that we are not just teaching things like arts and crafts, cooking, and sports. We use these as opportunities to teach socialization and living skills in a positive environment. And, we provide academic support and homework assistance to assure success in school and in life.

We sincerely hope that you, too, feel excited about the opportunity to make a positive impact on so many young lives in our community. We see this Blue Tiles Campaign as an opportunity to make an investment in our community’s youth and to leave a legacy for future generations.

The support and commitment of the entire community is needed for this project to succeed. Our goal is to raise an additional $50,000 a year to support the transformational growth of this organization. This growth will include capital improvements at each club, scholarship funds for more youth, an increase in STEAM activities, Workforce Development Programs and sports. Blue tiles will hang on front of the Harold Ashton Resource Center at 3155 East Grant Road. Each tile will be engraved with your personal message or tribute.

Thank you for supporting the Clubs and creating great futures!
The EVENT 2020 - ROARING 20s - Sunday, March 29, 2020
Early Bird Tickets NOW AVAILABLE
Give the perfect GIFT - Early Bird Tickets are now available!

Tickets to The EVENT make the perfect holiday gift for those who are hard to buy for or have everything - and your purchase goes to support the Clubs!
NOVA Home Loans Arizona Bowl - Tuesday, December 31st
Friends, we are 12 days from the kickoff of the NOVA Home Loans Arizona Bowl.

Boys & Girls Clubs of Tucson was selected by NOVA Home Loans Arizona Bowl as one of its three in-game charity beneficiaries!

Here’s how YOU can help us win the $25,000 first-place prize at the University of Wyoming Cowboys vs. Georgia State Panthers game on December 31st.
We need Boys & Girls Clubs of Tucson supporters like YOU to win:
  1. Buy tickets,
  2. Attend the game, and
  3. VOTE by text message for Boys & Girls Clubs of Tucson as YOUR FAVORITE CHARITY.

**You must be present at the game in order to vote.**
The winner will be announced in the 4th quarter.

Please support Boys & Girls Clubs of Tucson. The more than 4,100 active Club members are counting on you! THANK YOU!

Please help us sell out Arizona Stadium - Get your tickets to this year's game!
Planned Giving
Taking Stock at Year-End, and Giving It
Many people own appreciated stock--stock that has risen in value over time. For example, Jane has a stock account with a well-known brokerage company. One of her stocks has grown from $15 a share to $75 a share over the past few years. If she asks her broker to sell the stock she will owe tax on the $60 of appreciation for each share that is sold.

However, if Jane gives the stock to her Boys & Girls Club, she will avoid this tax on the appreciation and instead receive an income tax deduction on the full value of the stock. What's more, because the Club is a qualified charitable organization, the Club can sell the stock and avoid any tax on the appreciation--A win for Jane and a win for the Club.

The end of the year is a popular time for giving stock to Boys & Girls Clubs of Tucson. In fact, most stock gifts occur during the fourth quarter of the year. Many thoughtful donors review their stock portfolio and select stocks which have appreciated the most and which have been held for more than a year. These donors give stock instead of cash because they have discovered the value and enjoyment of stretching their giving power by giving stock. The more they can prudently give to help the youth in our community, the better they feel.

Have you considered making a gift of appreciated stock to the Boys & Girls Club?

To learn more about this, you may want to talk with your CPA or investment advisor, or to speak with someone about giving stock, please contact Elizabeth Bollinger, VP of Fund Development and Planned Giving at 520.573.3533 or via email ebollinger@bgctucson.org .
Other Ways to Support the Clubs
What is AmazonSmile?
AmazonSmile is a simple and automatic way for you to support your favorite charitable organization every time you shop, at no cost to you. When you shop at smile.amazon.com, you’ll find the exact same low prices, vast selection and convenient shopping experience as Amazon.com, with the added bonus that Amazon will donate a portion of the purchase price to your favorite charitable organization. You can choose from over one million organizations to support.

How do I shop at AmazonSmile?
To shop at AmazonSmile simply go to smile.amazon.com from the web browser on your computer or mobile device. You may also want to add a bookmark to smile.amazon.com to make it even easier to return and start your shopping at AmazonSmile.

To select or change your charity to Boys & Girls Clubs of Tucson, sign in to smile.amazon.com on your desktop or mobile phone browser and simply select “Your AmazonSmile” under the "Account & Lists" tab.
Thank You to Our 2019 Partners