New Club website, new blog

The Boys & Girls Club of Truckee Meadows has launched a new website at www.bgctm.org.

Incorporated in the new site is our new blog, which will feed into the front page. We liked the idea of incorporating the blog and the Web site into one entity to give users more information with a more uniform experience. So please check it out. If you subscribe to receive notice when there are blog updates, you can find and subscribe to our new RSS feed  at www.bgctm.org/feed to receive alerts when new information is published.

Our Web site is our number one vehicle for communicating Club news, programs and information. Suggestions to make the site better are welcome, and if there is anything you would like to know more about, let us know … maybe we’ll blog about it.

Thanks, Jim Scripps
Marketing Director

Microsoft golf tourney raises $27,000 for the Club!

Thanks to all of the organizers, players and donors who participated in the annual Microsoft Licensing Charity Golf Tournament on Aug. 26 at Wolf Run Golf Course. Together we raised more than $27,000 that will directly benefit Boys & Girls Club members through programming in everything from education to art, athletics to technology!

Since the Club’s inception in 1976, the generosity of Northern Nevada has carried us through all of the ups and downs, and along the way we have been able to have a positive impact on the lives of tens of thousands of kids, some of whom are parents of members today. Now we boast a membership of nearly 9,000, operate at 19 locations and serve more than 100,000 meals a year.

Nationally, the Boys & Girls Clubs of America and Microsoft have enjoyed a long-standing relationship built on Microsoft’s philosophy of corporate philanthropy. One of the exciting things about this tournament is that it gives us the opportunity to localize and grow that relationship. Add in the generosity of our other tournament sponsors and the results are obvious – a significant amount of money raised to do good for our community’s greatest asset: The children.

Thank you for making our first tournament with Microsoft Licensing a success. We look forward to seeing you back next year.

Fernley teens taking advantage of new Club

By Alicia Avilla, Fernley teen center site coordinator

I am very excited that our school year has begun in Fernley, where the new Boys & Girls Club kickoff has been warmly received.

At the teen center, lunch hour has been a huge success – the teens have been spreading the word about the Club, and already we have been bursting at the seams. Last week we hit a grand total of 40 kids in our building during lunch. (Yes, it was a tight fit.) The kids enjoyed playing pool, and video games, and talking with friends…the usual teen-type activity.

The Club has had a lot of the school administration thanking us for helping with some of what they call the “trouble kids.” Although the kids can be challenging at times, with the right guidance and support they’ll be on the right path. The Boys & Girls Club has helped create that opportunity for them.

We look forward to building on this success in the Fernley community.

Reno Ballers youth basketball kicks off season on Saturday, Sept. 18

By Mike Wurm, Chief Professional Officer

The start of the Reno Ballers youth basketball season is quickly approaching and we are scheduling the official kickoff to the 2010-11 season for Saturday, Sept. 18, 2010. The event will start at 8 a.m. and concludes with a barbecue and parent meeting at approximately 1 p.m.  Ballers and their families are strongly encouraged to be here on that day – we want to get a lot of quality information out to you.  We have a few changes that you do not want to miss.

Also on Sept. 18, the Ballers will have Adidas shoes present and you will be able to walk away with a brand new Pro Model Adidas team shoe for only $55.  I am sure you will appreciate the value and quality of this shoe.  Of course shoes are not mandatory.  We are simply trying to offer an affordable shoe to all Baller parents at a new level of convenience.

There will be more detail to follow on the Baller Kickoff.  Please save the date on your calendars and plan on being here at the Boys & Girls Club of Truckee Meadows and help us kick off this season right!

P.S. There will be no ball-handling this Saturday, Sept. 18.

Boys & Girls Club to host Day for Kids at Sparks Marina

Head down with the entire family as the Boys & Girls Club of Truckee Meadows hosts its annual free Day for Kids Saturday, Sept. 25 from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. at the Sparks Marina. Join hundreds of children and adults from across northern Nevada in the festivities, which include sports, bounce houses, face painting, free taco lunches, informational vendor booths and more, all designed to encourage adults to develop meaningful relationships with kids by spending a day together.

According to the 2007 National Survey of Children’s Health conducted by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau of the Health Resources and Services Administration, activities such as sharing a meal with a child are proven to promote family bonding, good eating habits and enhance personal values. Chief Professional Officer of the Boys & Girls Club of Truckee Meadows Mike Wurm says Day for Kids is a way for the non-profit organization to provide an outlet for members of the community to revive commitments to children.

“It gives us a great opportunity to provide free and educational activities to the entire community and bring families together in an interactive and fun environment,” he said.

Day for Kids is free to all attendees and begins at 11 a.m. at the Sparks Marina with activities, games and information on local community programs designed to encourage quality, healthy living.  It continues though the afternoon with free lunch, bounce houses, face painting and more, until 2 p.m.

In addition to encouraging the community to join in the fun, the Boys & Girls Club is now accepting applications for review for complimentary vendor space at the event. For information on vendor space at the 9th annual Day for Kids, please contact Erin Pieretti, special events director, at epieretti@bgctm.org.

Day for Kids is an annual nationwide event formed by Boys & Girls Clubs of America as a way to strengthen relationships between adults and children, providing an opportunity to spend meaningful, quality time together.

The beginning of a great partnership

For years the Boys & Girls Clubs of America and Microsoft have shared a relationship that celebrates the philanthropy of one of the world’s great technology companies, while putting that technology in the hands of millions of children.

For local clubs like the Boys & Girls Club of Truckee Meadows, this has been a huge benefit, allowing us to inexpensively empower the next generation of leaders with the tools they will need to succeed.

Now our Club, in a new partnership with Reno-based Microsoft Licensing, has brought that relationship home with an annual charity golf tournament put on by the company. On Thursday more than 100 community leaders took to the links at Wolf Run Golf Club for the annual Microsoft Licensing Golf Tournament, for a day of great golf action, food and fun that provided critical funding for Club programming.

With near perfect conditions, excited sponsors and one of the best courses in Northern Nevada at our disposal, the tournament could not have been better. We look forward to doing it again next year and thank Microsoft and their great local workforce for making it happen.

Special thanks to: Hometown Health, Barrick Gold, Wells Fargo Insurance, Accenture, Champion Chevrolet, Lee Brothers Leasing, Blue Moon Promotions, Wolf Run management and staff, and all of our other sponsors for making the tournament happen.

> Click here to see the tournament photo gallery.

Operating Engineers tee up for the Club

It was another banner year for the Operating Engineers Local No. 3 charity golf tournament, with proceeds benefitting the Boys & Girls Club of Truckee Meadows. The tournament, in its third year associated with the Club, netted more than $7,600 to benefit the Club’s northern Nevada programming.

Steve Ingersoll, district representative for the union, stopped by the Club on Wednesday to drop the check – and despite what we all know has been a tough year for construction, northern Nevada/California industry leaders again stepped up big for kids, exceeding the previous year’s total by a large margin.

This year’s tourney was held at the beautiful D’Andrea golf club in Sparks. The facilities were in tip-top shape, and the roster was full. The Club has always been well supported by construction companies as well as the trades and we are humbled by their generosity.

Thanks again, Operating Engineers Local No. 3

An elegant affair: Date Smart luncheon wraps successful program

By Suzette McCuster, Education Coordinator

On Aug. 10, the Boys & Girls Club’s Date Smart program had its first Annual Date Smart Luncheon.

Date Smart is designed to help teens develop respectful, supportive relationships through healthy communication and activities with peers. The summer-long session ended with a luncheon served in a sophisticated setting – an exciting new experience for a couple dozen of our teen members.

Formal attire was required, and staff served the culinary fare of our “Executive Chef” Chris Coclich in uniform. The menu was wonderfully prepared, served with elegance and enjoyed by all.

Staff, parents and members are excited to see participation in Smart Moves classes increase. We expect an even bigger turnout for next year – and the kitchen is ready!

>>Check out more photos of the luncheon here.

Club teens clean up!

By Kyle Smith, Site Coordinator

Giving back is a critical component of maintaining healthy communities. Ranging in age from 13 to 18 and hailing from several different schools, Boys & Girls Club of Truckee Meadows teens worked with a video crew from the City of Sparks to document how volunteerism can help our community, especially during difficult financial times.

This dynamic is demonstrated in our relationship with Sparks – the teens at the Club at the Larry D. Johnson Community Center volunteer to clean up Ardmore Park on a regular basis.

While the clean-ups are usually done in smaller groups, a larger group of 26 teen volunteers came out last week to do an annual pickup of the entire property surrounding the Club. Tony Pehle and Kelly Hanson at the City of Sparks have been crucial in maintaining a healthy and accommodating atmosphere for the teens at the Club at LDJ.  As a thank you to those who generously provide to the Club, the teens and staff make it a priority to serve as well.

Boys & Girls Club of Fernley tops 350 members – and growing

Fernley Club members have fun during the Day in the Park event on Aug. 17.

By Lauren Soulam, Boys & Girls Club of Truckee Meadows Grants Director

It’s official – the Boys & Girls Club of Fernley is up and running and off to a great start!  Launched on June 7, the Club already has a membership of over 350 youth, far exceeding expectations.  The response from the community has been tremendous, and with additional sites opening up for the school year, membership numbers are only expected to grow from here.

A grant from the E. L. Wiegand Foundation has helped create a fun and lively environment within the Club. Members are welcomed into an upbeat atmosphere that includes pool tables, ping-pong tables, sports equipment, XBOXes, art supplies, board games and much more, all funded by the Foundation.

The Club’s eight-person staff has been busy launching programs like SMART Moves and Leaders in Training as well as taking members on field trips all over the area.  The biggest surprise has been the popularity of the teen program.  Averaging between 20 and 30 members daily, the teens are eager to get involved and make the Club their own.  They’re even looking for ways to give back to their community, including bi-weekly trips to the food bank to hand out food.

As we look forward to the new school year, our staff is excited, our members are enthusiastic, and the pump is primed for a fantastic program for the young people of Fernley.

This week the club held a free Day in the Park event with bounce houses, a barbecue and fun and games for members, future members and parents. Check out the photos of Tuesday’s event here or click the gallery below.