In June, Boys & Girls Clubs across the country began collaboration on a new teen social justice initiative called Be The Change You Want 2 See. This new initiative amplifies youth voices and activism through critical and intentional conversations, artistic expression and service projects. The goal is to educate and inspire teen Club members to be catalysts for change across our nation.
On August 5, this initiative scaled up to a national, multi-city Teen Empowerment Town Hall that tackled timely issues of social and racial justice impacting teens in America today. Following opening remarks from Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) CEO Jim Clark, teens engaged in lively discussions on topics including police reform, criminal justice reform and grassroots activism.
|
|
Participating in the town hall were teen Boys & Girls Club members from the Twin Cities, Houston, Metro Atlanta, St. Louis, Washington, D.C., and San Francisco. Twin Cities participants included Kaysha Shaw, 2020 Minnesota Youth of the Year Ke'la Scuefield, and 2019 Midwest Youth of the Year Anaa Jibicho.
We are very proud of our teens, and Club teens across the country, for making their voices heard and their efforts to listen, share and educate! We look forward to participating in future events and continuing to support avenues of advocacy for our young people.
|
|
Thanks for Supporting Our Minneapolis Clubs! |
|
We are so excited to announce that we EXCEEDED the $80,000 match put forth by the Sonance Foundation for our Minneapolis Clubs!
Our Clubs in north and south Minneapolis have taken on crucial roles in supporting their communities and ensuring that every family in our neighborhoods can access critical resources throughout these difficult times. Thanks to YOU, we raised OVER $160,000 for our Minneapolis Clubs to continue providing important supports for families, as well as virtual programming and summer learning opportunities for youth!
Please visit our website to learn more about how we continue to support our BGCTC communities through these challenges.
|
|
Serving Our Families in the New School Year |
|
School districts are choosing distance learning for fall, leaving many families in a difficult situation and needing greater support from the Clubs. We plan to reopen the following Clubs after Labor Day for small-group, in-person, all day programming: Jerry Gamble and Southside Village in Minneapolis, and Mt. Airy, East Side and Al Lenzmeier West Side in St. Paul. East Side will focus on in-person teen programming, while the other Clubs will focus on in-person K-5 programming.
Our reopening plan involves a structured partnership with parents/guardians and teachers as BGCTC takes on a more significant role in administering a high-quality Club and education experience. Virtual programming will continue, to expand our program reach and to support children and teens we cannot bring into the Clubs at this time due to COVID-19 safety capacity constraints.
As we move into our school year reopen plan, we will bring the Family Meal Kits program and Southside Village pop-up food pantry to a close; going back to our traditional Kids Feeding Kids model with on-site nutritious meals being served at all open Club locations. We will also continue connecting Club families who aren't able to be with us for in-person programming and are experiencing food insecurity to alternate community resources during this time. With funding, BGCTC will continue exploring ways to expand our role in advancing food security in the future.
|
|
Thank You to Our COVID Response Community Partners! |
|
- A1 Landscaping
- Asian Foods/Sysco
- Aspen Waste
- Best Buy Foundation
- Bobby & Steve's Autoworld
- Capital Maintenance
- Concrete Coating
- Cub Foods
- Ecolab
- Fixed Assets
- Fountain of Life Church – Minneapolis
- Grandma’s Bakery
- Harminder Mashiana
- Harry & Jan Sweere Foundation
- Harvard Maintenance
|
|
- International Brotherhood of Teamsters
- Jerry & Diane Carlson
- Jim and Sue Franklin
- The Joel & Teresa Pfister Foundation
- Kellogg's
- Kowalski’s Markets
- MATTERbox Snack Packs
- McNeely Foundation
- The Minneapolis Foundation
- Minnesota Timberwolves Head Coach Ryan Saunders and wife Hayley
- Minnesota Vikings and the Wilf Family
|
|
- Otto Bremer Trust
- Papa John’s Pizza
- Polaris Industries
- Pratt Industries & Minnesota Corrugated Box, Inc.
- Reinhart Foodservice
- Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation
- Sonance Foundation
- Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation
- T-Mobile
- Teamsters Local 320
- Teamsters Local 471
- Union Pacific Foundation
- US Foods
|
|
2020 Scholarship Recipients
Each year, our graduating Club seniors and alumni have the opportunity to apply for and renew the Lenzmeier, Nigon, Nicholson, Voyageur, and BGCTC post-secondary scholarships. A total of $136,500 in scholarships was awarded to 33 Club graduates and alumni this year!
Congratulations to all of our scholars, and thank you to our generous supporters who make the continued education of our young people possible!
|
|
- Yusuf Abdullah
- Armonie Baylock
- Lamah Bility
- Amber Chow
- Heaven Cunningham
- Sonti Diaz
- Lindsey Fatze
- Heron Francis III
- Raquawn Galloway
- Angelina Her
- Sean Hubbard
|
|
- Manny Latimer
- Jay Lee
- Chieng Lor
- Desmond Lugo
- Kennedy McTeague
- Abdi Mohamoud
- Dillion Moua
- Waverly Moua
- Kathy Nguyen
- Shay Poe
- Alicia Renfroe-Lighten
|
|
- Ke'la Scuefield
- Rudwan Tahir
- Shoua Thao
- Lupe Tovalin
- Drake Vang
- Jenna Vang
- Laichia Vang
- Lucky Vang
- Xavier Walton
- Joquan Williams
- Sorena Yang
|
|
Abiba Lecky
Teen Advocacy Liaison
Abiba began her work with Boys & Girls Clubs of the Twin Cities as a Teen Specialist at our Patrick Henry Club. She has worked to develop strong relationships with Club teens and has created space to develop intentional, teen-centered content despite the challenges of distance learning and virtual programming. In her day-to-day life, Abiba loves pets, kayaking, and skateboarding; the latter, she says, is a hobby she picked up during the long months of social distancing!
Recently, Abiba took on a leadership role in developing this month's National Town Hall teen virtual event, which brought together Club teens from across the country to discuss police reform, criminal justice reform, and grassroots organizing. This month we also welcomed her to a new role as BGCTC's new Teen Advocacy Liaison - congratulations, Abiba!
|
|
Take the #HalfMyDAF Challenge!
Do you have a Donor Advised Fund (DAF)? Join the #HalfMyDAF Challenge and request a grant to Boys & Girls Clubs of the Twin Cities today!
If you make a grant to BGCTC and commit to putting half your DAF to work by September 30, we’ll be eligible to receive up to $10,000 in matching funds! Every grant from a DAF, together with a commitment to #HalfMyDAF, increases our chances for an additional $10,000 grant. Your DAF can have greater impact now than ever!
|
|
Tailgate in a Box
Although we are unable to gather in person this summer, we ask you to join us as we take two of our signature events – Kids in the City and Grand Slam Dinner – and turn them into one large ((virtual)) celebration: Tailgate in a Box!
This month-long fundraising event is being supported by FOX Sports North and the Minnesota Twins to help us further our mission to enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens.
Participating Minnesota Twins alumni include LaTroy Hawkins, World Series Champion Roy Smalley, Glen Perkins, and longtime Boys & Girls Clubs supporter Michael Cuddyer!
Tailgate in a Box comes to you! This ((virtual)) event series takes place every Tuesday in August. Each virtual program includes:
- Q&A with Minnesota Twins alumni
- Incredible work of the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Twin Cities
- Great auction items
- Plus, play games to win prizes!
If you don't have a ticket yet, don't worry - you can still get your tickets throughout the month of August! Programs from previous weeks will be available with purchase.
|
|
|
While social distancing measures are currently limiting the types of volunteer opportunities available at our Clubs, please consider supporting BGCTC in the following ways:
- Donate non-perishable food items, hygiene and cleaning supplies, school supplies, games, and activities for Club kids
- Sew or donate masks for Club staff
- Promote our organization on social media to build awareness
- Share employment resources for families
- Write encouraging notes to our kids or Club staff
-
Make a monetary donation online, by mail, or by texting OURKIDS to 243725
To make an in-kind donation of any of the items listed above within the coming weeks and months, please contact Molly Hemes at [email protected] to arrange a drop-off time at one of our Clubs.
|
|
You Can Change a Child's Life
With your support, we can continue to provide life-changing academic, leadership, and healthy lifestyles programming to youth across the Twin Cities.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
