One of the benefits of being a member of our Morgan County Club is the opportunity to participate in free music lessons. Volunteers from Black Cat Music Cooperative in Berkeley Springs have been providing guitar and ukulele lessons at the club for about eight years. They provide the instruments and time on a weekly basis so members can provide a show for parents at the end of the school year. In January, members were invited to try a class. If they liked it, they committed to participating every week until May. |
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Many young people aren't able to take private lessons, so they appreciate the opportunity to learn a new skill, and the club staff appreciate how the lessons contribute to the development of our kids.
Music is linked to brain growth, language skills, math skills, memory, attention, concentration, increased coordination, achievement, self-discipline, and social skills.
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The Boys & Girls Club of the Eastern Panhandle is proud of two of our members - Jayden from Martinsburg and Angel from Morgan County - who represented us as youth participants at the West Virginia Boys & Girls Club Area Council in Morgantown in March.
As part of their experience, Angel and Jayden got to tour WVU, challenge themselves in an escape room, meet with WVU students who helped them write speeches and prepare for the youth of the year competition, and attend this year's Youth of the Year presentation.
We love providing opportunities outside the walls of our clubs for our young people to learn, grow, and explore our state.
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Youth and adult representatives from the Boys & Girls Club of the Eastern Panhandle gathered on Monday, March 27, at the UScellular store in Martinsburg to celebrate the artistic talents of club members who participated in the second annual Black History Month Art Contest.
Boys & Girls Club board member Monique Boots announced the top three winners as Ellianna Mellott from the Morgan County Club, Adeena Yehudah from the Martinsburg Club, and Kaiden Clyburn from the Jefferson County Club. Hunter Sprinkles, the area sales manager for UScellular, explained “the Black History Month Art Contest is a contest designed to honor influential African Americans and to inspire student creativity.”
Throughout the month of January, Boys & Girls Club members chose their inspiration and created the artwork. Ten finalists from the three Eastern Panhandle clubs were selected based on creativity, quality, interpretation, clarity of theme, and overall impression. The finalists’ artwork was displayed online from February 1 to 28, and anyone 18 and older was invited to vote for their favorite. The winners with the most votes were recognized on Monday, and everyone who attended the announcement was excited to learn that a student from each of the three clubs had won.
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First place winner Ellianna created a portrait of Bessie Coleman, the first African American woman and first Native American to hold a pilot’s license. She was also the first black person to earn an international pilot’s license. Ellianna received a $250 gift card. Second place winner Adeena received a $150.00 gift card for her drawing of Civil Rights activists Rosa Parks and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Kaiden received a $100.00 for his third-place portrait of Dr. Percy Julian, a chemist and entrepreneur figured out how to synthesize important medicinal compounds from abundant plant sources, making them more affordable to mass produce.
When asked about being selected as a winner, Elliana said, “Bob Ross would be proud since I paint like him and Mawmaw” and “I’m kind of a real artist now since I got money. It’s like I sold my first painting.”
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The Eastern Panhandle Rotary Clubs continue to be a significant source of financial support for our Boys & Girls Club kids.
In December, the Rotary Club of Charles Town selected the Boys & Girls Club as one of the beneficiaries of their Christimas for Charities 2022 gala with a $2,000 grant for the Jefferson County Club.
In February, the Martinsburg Sunrise Rotary Club held its annual dance, and raised $10,000 to support our programming. The Club has been the recipient of the proceeds of this dance for more than two decades.
The Noon Martinsburg Rotary Club announced in March that the Boys & Girls Club was one of six local nonprofits to receive a grant. The Rotary Club received more than 31 grant applications, so we are very grateful they provided us with a $5,000 grant to purchase items for the Martinsburg Club Teen Room.
These Rotary Clubs and their members truly live the motto: Service Above Self.
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Frostyfest Warms Our Hearts! |
The Jefferson County Convention and Visitors Bureau has donated $5,000 from its first annual winter festival, Frostyfest, to our Jefferson County Club.
The festival took place January 26 – 29 throughout Jefferson County with activities being held in each of the four towns.
The donated funds were from the net ticket sales from their Friday night dinner and comedy show in Charles Town. In addition to our appreciation for the staff and volunteers with the Convention and Visitors Bureau, we are also grateful for the individuals who packed the Charles Washington Hall for the show.
These funds, raised by laughter, will continue to bring joy to our Jefferson County kids.
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Sponsorship Opportunities |
The Boys & Girls Club depends on sponsorships to fill our funding gap. We have numerous sponsorship opportunties that allow businesses to show how much they care about our children's future. Please review and share those opportunities to help us keep smiles on kids faces!
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Replace Amazon Smiles with Round Ups |
With the end of the Amazon Smiles programs, please remember there is another easy way to give to the Boys & Girls Club: round up!
A "Round-Up" is the term to describe the spare change captured by automatically rounding up your transactions to the next dollar when making a purchase with your bank card. Your bank account probably won't even notice the difference - but our club will!
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The Boys & Girls Club of the Eastern Panhandle relies on donors to help us keep our doors open. |
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Our Mission: To enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens.
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