It Just Takes One Newsletter   - January 2015
Enabling & Inspiring Youth to Reach Their Full Potential in a Safe and Nurturing Environment.
                                                                                                                                        Great Futures
It Just Takes One
Board Member Pat Kunnecke and Boys & Girls Club Featured in Arkansas Democrat Gazette
 Pat has been a Board Member of the Club for twenty years.  His first connection with the Club came in the "campaign for kids", held to build the Carl & Alleen McKinney Unit.  Since then he has been the Board President and served on virtually every committee and helped with most every event.  Pat chose to serve as a Club volunteer because "Our programs help kids build their self-esteem," he says. "It helps focus them on getting a good education and making the right kinds of decisions when it comes to peers, alcohol, drugs and sex and teaches them some leadership skills."  Pat also serve on the Arkansas Alliance of Boys & Girls Clubs which raises nearly $2 million annually for Clubs throughout the state.  After twenty years of service he says he can now see the results of his work in the "adults in the community that were raised in the Boys and Girls Club, and that's the benefit to the community, that we're turning them into productive citizens instead of, hopefully not juvenile delinquents, but that's the risk when you're leaving your child alone at home."   Thank you Pat for all you do for our kids!  Read the full story HERE
SMART Girls Ring in New Year     

SMART Girls adviser, Leah Golden takes a 'Selfie' while beginning a new round of the course that helps young girls build self-esteem.  SMART Girls is part of the Skills Mastery and Resistance Training series of programs. The programs use a team approach involving Club staff, peer leaders, parents and community representatives to teaches young people how to say no by involving them in discussion and role-playing, practicing resistance and refusal skills, developing assertiveness, strengthening decision-making skills and analyzing media and peer influence.
Todd Huff Named Staff Member of the Month
 

Todd Huff (right), the Rogers Unit Director, is our Staff Member of the Month for January.  He is pictured here with Dick Trammel, EVP of Arvest Bank (left) who  celebrated Todd's hard work and tireless commitment to the club at Crabby's!  Congratulations Todd! We appreciate you!  This is a new program of the Club that recognizes employees that have gone above and beyond their normal job description to make an outstanding contribution to the Club or kids.  Pass on your congratulations to Todd HERE for this honor.     

The first games of the basketball season began on Saturday, January 10th at the McKinney Unit and the Coleman Center.  Athletics Director Shawn Nicholson reports that this season in the boys program there are 20 1st & 2nd teams, 12 3rd grade teams, 22 4th & 5th grade teams, 18 6th & 7th grade teams, and 12 8th & 9th grade teams.  In the girls program there are 8  teams in each of the 1st & 2nd, 3rd & 4th, and 5th & 6th grade divisions.   Girls Basketball is sponsored by:

 

 

Cooking Matters Ends Year With 167 Participants

The new Cooking Matters nutrition education course at the Club ended the year with 167 children, teens and adults completing the six-session course. Many of the kids commented on the post-class survey that the course was their "favorite" class of all time.  In half of the class the participants learn about nutrition and shopping for affordable nutritious foods while in the second half of the classes they actually prepare health meals.  Of the 13 post-survey question like choosing health foods while eating out, feeling about eating fruits and vegetables; 95% of the kids responded positively.  Our thanks go out to the staff and management of the Mercy Health nutrition department for assisting with presenting the courses. The 2014 program was funded by the the Endeavor Foundation and    
 


Happy New Year to All Our Friends!  
2015 Texas Hold'em Tournament 

Register ONLINE 
Registration begins at 11:00am and play will start at 12:30pm 

Location: Avondale, 2005 East Central 

Bring your poker face and strategy to the Texas Hold'em Tournament sponsored by Unilever. Lunch, snacks, and beverages will be provided.





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The Boys & Girls Club of Benton County is a

Agency

DEVELOPING HEALTHY CHILDREN
 
WHO ARE SUCCESSFUL IN SCHOOL &
MAKE POSITIVE LIFE CHOICES

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