 |
|
|
|
| Edgewood Club field trip to Brad's Produce. |
|
The leaves are transforming before our eyes, and so are our youth. Some of them even turned into zombies and ghouls last month on our haunted trail, while others have transformed in areas of skill and confidence. The Clubs have never been busier, and we have lots to share with you!
Read on to discover more about our Clubs and check out all of our highlights below. Learn more about what we are doing to encourage, inspire, and support #GreatFutures.
|
Next Open House: January 26th, 4:00 PM
Edgewood Club
2002 Cedar Drive| Edgewood | Maryland | 21040 |
|
Event Spotlight
Thousands Survive Valley of the Haunted
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Harford County successfully wrapped up their second season of Harford's newest haunted attraction, Valley of the Haunted, located at Camp Hidden Valley, a 180 acre wooded campground in White Hall, MD. The main attraction was a haunted trail that ran Friday and Saturday nights the last three weekends in October, and also included a hay ride, live music, s'mores over a campfire, and plenty to eat & drink. On Sundays, they offered a fun, spook-free Halloween event called Little Haunts that included trick-or-treating on the trail, games, crafts, pumpkin painting, costume contests, moon bounces, a hay maze, and more.
More than 3,150 guests from Harford County, Baltimore County, Baltimore City, Pennsylvania, and even as far as Washington DC and New Jersey visited the attraction. This was great news for the Harford County Office of Economic Development, which had awarded a tourism grant to Boys & Girls Clubs of Harford County to put on the premier attraction. The trail was marketed from Pennsylvania all the way down to Washington DC, and promised to scare and delight haunt seekers who dared to enter the haunted campground. Read More
|
Faces of the Future
Malik is 13 years old and has grown a lot in his nearly 5 years at the Bel Air Club. This year in particular, Malik has already begun to volunteer with Mr. Kevin in the gym for indoor basketball, participated in Money Matters and Passport to Manhood, and always offers to help when needed. Malik comes into the Club every day with a smile on his face and lights up the whole building. Keep up the good work!
"The Boys & Girls Clubs is important to me because I learn a lot of great character traits and I meet lots of new people. The Boys & Girls Club has helped me mature into a young man." -Malik, 13
|
Club Spotlight
Congressman Ruppersberger
Congressman C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger came out recently to the Aberdeen Branch of Boys & Girls Clubs of Harford County to learn about the Club's recent updates and talk with the kids about citizenship and the role of politics on community advancement. His intention? To plant the seed of civic duty in our youth.
The young people had an array of questions about why the congressman chose to be in politics and what he has accomplished in that role. While the vast majority of attendees are years away from being able to vote themselves, they left full of intent to exemplify good citizenship, and turn good wishes into goodwill in their community.
After touring the Club and answering more than a dozen questions from the 100 plus kids in attendance, Congressman Ruppersberger reflected, "The Club teaches children about teamwork and leadership while at the same time keeping them away from drugs, alcohol, and gangs. I am proud to support their efforts today and always."
Read More
|
|
Teen Spotlight
Anti-Bullying Mixer
The Bel Air Club hosted an Anti-Bullying Mixer for all of the Club teens in the organization. The Games Room was decked out in tulle, balloons, and stars, compliments of our Club kids!
Mr. Meech was welcomed as the special guest, who talked to our teens about life on the streets and in jail, and we did an exercise to practice what to do as a bystander when someone is being bullied.
The turn out was AMAZING and more than we expected. Everyone had a blast dancing, playing Guitar Hero, and playing basketball in the Gym.
We are thankful to all our sponsors, including Chick-fil-A, Buffalo Wild Wings, and Season's Pizza. The Torch Club contributed with a delicious taco salad for the event.
The anti-bullying mixer is a part of the Clubs' Teen Nights series.
|
HDG & Bel Air Clubs Celebrate Breast Cancer Awareness Month
On October 19th, Boys & Girls Clubs of Harford County joined forces with United Way of Central Maryland to bring Breast Cancer Awareness Month into the Clubs. Think Pink parties were held at the Havre de Grace and Bel Air Clubs, where everyone and everything was decked out in pink, and the kids learned about breast and other types of cancer, listened to stories from survivors and their family members, and created cards for patients battling cancer at Upper Chesapeake Hospital.
Have de Grace Club Program Director, Angela Beckman, took the opportunity to invite a hair stylist to chop off her long locks so that she could donate her hair to the organization, Locks of Love, which creates hair pieces for cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. The Club kids looked on in amazement, impressed to see such a selfless act firsthand. While it was actually Ms. Angie's 3rd donation to Locks of Love, for the Club kids, it was a powerful example of kindness and generosity.
|
|
| To the kids' astonishment, Ms. Angie, Havre de Grace Club Program Director, chops those locks to donate her hair to Locks of Love! |
|
|
Community Spotlight
Girls on the Run
The Edgewood Boys & Girls Club partnered with Girls on the Run, so that a team of our Club girls could participate in the program this fall, and we are so proud to say they did it! It was incredible to see these girls not only complete the program, but complete their very first 5k, a feat that seemed insurmountable to many of them. They are proud of themselves, and we are proud of them. Congratulations, ladies. A huge thank you to Ms. Elizabeth and her coaching team.
Girls on the Run® is a life-changing, experiential learning program for girls in grades 3rd through 8th. The program combines training for a 3.1 mile running event with self-esteem enhancing, uplifting workouts. The goals of the program are to encourage positive emotional, social, mental, spiritual and physical development.
|
Aberdeen Club
Mrs. Carmichael is the nicest lady". These were the words of one of our Club members who participates in the Sewing Club at the Aberdeen Branch. Mrs. Carmichael has been volunteering for the past five years in the Art Room. She visits the Club every Tuesday to teach our young Club members how to sew and crochet. She also teaches the young Club members patience and grace. She is an active member at Highway Holiness church. She recently celebrated her 70th birthday. So we would like to wish Mrs. Carmichael a Happy Birthday from the Boys & Girls Club and a 'Thank you' for all her service.
|
|
|
PO Box 1106 Aberdeen, MD 21001
|
|
|
|
WAYS TO HELP DURING THE HOLIDAYS
|
Your gift really does open the door to Great Futures, and means a great deal to the hundreds of kids we serve on a daily basis. The Clubs rely heavily on gifts made during the holidays to ensure that we can continue our mission. No gift is to big or small. Make your gift recur monthly to help us all year long. Donate Online or mail your gift to Boys & Girls Clubs of Harford County.
Drop off some holiday cheer at any of our Club locations or at our administrative office. Each year we try to collect enough toys and books so that each and every Club kid can receive a gift for the holidays. For more info, please call 410-272-0010.
You shop, they donate! As you start shopping on amazon for holiday gifts, log on to Amazon through this link, http://smile.amazon.com/ch/52-1701612 , and Amazon will donate .05% of each sale to Boys & Girls Clubs of Harford County. No extra charge to you!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
