As spring arrives, there’s a renewed sense of excitement across our Clubs. With warmer days ahead, our members are eager to get outside, stay active, and take part in all that this season has to offer, from the start of spring sports to new programming opportunities.

Across all of our sites, we are serving hundreds of kids each day. Our new John & Linda Lyche Club in Onalaska is already thriving, welcoming over 100 youth daily and continuing to grow. We’re also continuing to make important progress on our new Workforce Center. While a few of our team members have recently moved into new office spaces, we’re especially looking forward to the full opening of our Workforce Center later this summer. This new space will expand our ability to help teens explore career interests, gain valuable skills, and prepare for what comes next.

This month we're especially proud to celebrate Nayeli, our Youth of the Year, who represented our Club at the state competition in Madison, and as we look ahead, celebrations continue at our Wall of Fame banquet being held on April 29. We hope to see you there.

Thank you for being part of our organization and making all that we do possible.

Your gift helps us continue to inspire and empower all kids

YOUTH OF THE YEAR

We are so proud of Nayeli for representing our organization at the State Youth of the Year competition in Madison!

Out of the 5,000 youth we serve, Nayeli was selected to compete alongside 15 outstanding teens from across Wisconsin. During the event teens shared their stories through essays, speeches, and interviews with judges. They even had the opportunity to participate in Advocacy Day at the Wisconsin State Capitol and meet with state legislators.

Her journey with the Club has truly come full circle - growing up at the Club and a now staff member, with plans this fall to start pursuing a degree in education.

AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAMMING

UWL Reading Buddies

We have 41 Hamilton BGC members participating in weekly fun/educational activities. BGC members are paired with UWL students for 1 on 1 learning.

Lyche Lunch Bunch

Members at our John & Linda Lyche Club had the opportunity to come to our Club space for lunch with the staff.

Safety Training

Molly McCormick (Community Risk Educator) with the La Crosse Fire Department visited our Hamilton Club to talk about safety, emergencies, and the role of emergency response teams.

Up Next

This in-club work-based learning program for teens is designed to develop strong employability skills. Through mentoring, job shadowing, and career-focused workshops, teens gain hands-on experience and preparation for future careers.

SUMMER PROGRAMMING

Lyche Summer Care Program

We still have spots open in all age groups for summer programming at our John & Linda Lyche Club. Register here.

WORKFORCE READINESS CENTER

With our Workforce Center set to open this summer, the momentum is already underway. Teens are actively participating in workforce programming across our Club sites, exploring areas like healthcare, STEM, coding, and financial futures.

YOUTH & FAMILY SERVICES

March Mental Health Initiative

This March, the Youth & Family Services department led a club-wide initiative focused on building healthy relationships and social connection for both Junior and Teen members. Through weekly targeted group activities, members explored important skills such as communication, perspective taking, boundaries, kindness, and self-compassion—building a strong foundation for positive, supportive relationships.

Clubs also launched a Teen Mentorship Challenge, where teens connected with younger members through fun, meaningful activities designed to strengthen relationships and leadership skills. Across all sites, youth participated in hundreds of connection-building moments that fostered inclusion and community.

To measure impact, youth completed a Sense of Belonging survey at the beginning and end of the month, helping us better understand and support their connection to the Club.

Together, these efforts created intentional opportunities for youth to feel seen, valued, and connected—because belonging matters

CLUB ATHLETICS

McDonald's Classic

For the boys tournament we hosted 118 teams at 6 locations over 1 weekend!

Thank you to McDonald's for their support of our athletic programs and sponsoring this tournament. We also would like to thank all of our volunteers who helped keep everything running over the weekend.

State Wrestling

This season our wrestling program had 13 boys and 7 girls compete at state wrestling! We are proud of all of our wrestlers for working hard this season and look forward to seeing their confidence levels continue to grow next year.

Spring Volleyball

Tournaments started for our spring volleyball program! We have 224 girls participating in our Spring Volleyball program and we are excited to see everyone continue to build their skills for the fall season!

SAVE THE DATE

Wall of Fame

We invite you to join us for our 40th annual Wall of Fame event on Wednesday, April 29th at Celebrations on the River.

Inductees: Megan Binsfeld and Dirk Swanson. Community Award Winners: Inland, Roger Thornton, Riverfest Commodore Kids in Need Fund, and Brett Gullicksrud.

Golf Classic

Join us for our annual Golf Classic on Monday, June 1st at the Golf Club at Cedar Creek.

Interested in being a sponsor? Contact Tore, tore.washa@bgclax.org

THANK YOU

Thank you to Festival Foods Turkey Trot and everyone who volunteered or participated in the event. Because of all of you, over $24,000 was donated to our Club.

SNAP SHOTS OF 60 YEARS

2026 will be a milestone year as we celebrate 60 years of impact and open our Workforce Center. Thank you for your continued support and belief in our mission. The momentum is only building.

We want to highlight all the events that have taken place over the last 60 years! If you have any photos to share please send them to: tore.washa@bgclax.org

REMEMBERING OUR FREINDS OF THE CLUB

www.bgclax.org