When school is out, Club is in! During the summer, Club hours are extended to ensure that young people in our community have what they need to reach their full potential. We offer meals, mentors, productive experiences, and a fun place for kids to spend their summer days. Club members attend camp free of charge or at a low weekly rate. Local support helps to make this possible. Today, we've rounded up a few highlights from the Club camp season to share with you.

P.S. Be sure to read to the end of this email for an opportunity to engage with our Club members!

Crop Culture is a program at our 9th Street Club where teens and tweens grow, harvest, prepare, and sell food at the market. Kids learn gardening, cooking, and business skills, as well as the value of hard work. 

Here are some of the activities Club members participated in this summer in Crop Culture:

🌱 Cooked a sheet bake with homegrown peppers and squash (plus onion, chicken sausage, potatoes, and pickled peppers!)

🌱 Presented about the program with Virginia Community Garden Network (thanks for having us!)

🌱 When the squash finally reached its end - mushy and covered in bugs - Club members placed it on the beds and covered them with tarps to let it decompose.

🌱 Jaz & Jamir led a program with 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades to share about the business and gardens. They also conducted a scavenger hunt!

🌱 Made PICKLES using cucumbers they picked up from the LEAP 4 Local Food mobile market.

" The weekly field trips from the aquatic center to the Richmond Metro Zoo were a great way for my daughter to learn new things with her peers."

-Sarah, Club Parent

Summer Book Fair

Thanks to Penny Livesay and her nonprofit Open Book NRV, some of our Club members had the chance to browse a large book display and pick out a few books to take home for their collection. Thank you Penny for our Summer Book Fair!

Family Nights

Monthly family nights are a part of the Club Experience for each of our members and parent/caregiver partners. Summer Camp is no exception! 

The end-of-summer bash at Rocky Mount Elementary School was filled with friendly family STEM rotation competitions, Positive Police Presence, and Subway dinner. 

Summer by the Numbers

• 423 youth were enrolled at 11 summer camp Club locations

• More than 14,000 snacks were served during the 8 camp weeks

• Nearly 30,000 breakfasts and lunches were provided to Club members

• 150 Club staff served as positive influences in the lives of local young people and made it a great summer!

"Something I like about the summer program is the teamwork."

-Heaven, 9th Street Club Member

Club members loved going on field trips! Clubs took trips to more than 45 destinations this summer. Here is a sampling of our wonderful hosts:

• Fallon Park Pool
• Skate Center of Roanoke Valley
• AMF Hilltop Lanes
• Salem Ballpark, home of the Red Sox
• Booker T. Washington Park
• Homestead Creamery
• Roanoke Starcade
• Roanoke Pinball Museum
• Roanoke River Greenway
• Blue Cow Ice Cream
• Taubman Museum of Art
• Richmond Zoo
• Amazement Square in Lynchburg
• Dixie Caverns
• Virginia Safari Park
• Apple Ridge Farm
• SeaQuest Lynchburg

Field trips are made possible with support from donors and corporate partners. Club members grow culturally and academically, learn new life skills such as handling money and swimming, are provided the opportunity to use critical thinking skills, and have lots of fun!

"I loved Boys & Girls Club Camp because everyone is super friendly and comes up with wonderful activities that really brighten our days!"

-Dylan, Montgomery County Club Member

Fun at Club

We love visitors at our Club sites... especially slithering ones. The folks at Snizards brought a few of their favorites to meet our Club kids, and it was a slimy good time for everyone. We learned more about the natural habitat, behavior, and diets of our creepy-crawly friends. Thank you Snizards!

"We had such a fun summer and really got to know each other. Now we are ready to have a great school year!"



-9th Street Club staff

GET INVOLVED & INSPIRE YOUTH

Do you have any words of encouragement for our Club kids to help inspire a great school year ahead? Please share your wisdom via the link below. We will deliver your message to our Club kids next week.