Board Meeting
When: Wednesday, August 16
Time: 4:00pm - 5:00pm
Location TBD
Please bring auction items for Steak & Burger Dinner
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26th Annual Steak & Burger Dinner
When: Sunday, October 1st
Where: Casino Del Sol
Time: 5:00 - 7:30pm
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Party with a Purpose Signature Dinner with Coach Lute & Kelly Olson
When: Sunday, November 19th
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A Message from Debbie Wagner, CEO
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We have had a robust six months here at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Tucson, and our June board meeting was particularly inspiring with some very special moments of recognition.
Stephen Wolslager was inducted into the BGCA Lifetime Giving Society for directing a transformational gift of an incredible $1.63 million to the Clubs through The Wolslager Foundation. This support provided an incredible shot in the arm to the Clubs during a pivotal time in our history.
We awarded Alan Truong and David Johnson with our first BGCT Alumni Award that will honor alumni college students who have shown an exemplary commitment to their community and BGCT through volunteer and leadership roles in the Clubs. Alan and David recently delivered a speech addressing "The Importance of Youth Involvement in Community Activism and Volunteer Programs" at a Comcast-hosted Leaders and Achievers Scholarship Awards Ceremony. Please view their touching videos at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gWunCz6aS8&feature=youtu.be.
Kristy Bowker was recognized for her extraordinary volunteerism and commitment to supporting our BGCT mission and kids since 2003, when her daughter Juliet Yardy, our Volunteer and Program Operation Coordinator, first joined as a member of the Frank & Edith Morton Clubhouse the day it opened.
Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around. ~Leo Buscaglia
Thank you to our many volunteers and supporters who to inspire us every day with their commitment to improve the lives of our youth and community.
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Long-time Friend of BGCT Receives Prestigious Philanthropy Award
CEO Debbie Wagner, Stephen Wolslager, Emeritus Board Member Mark Irvin and Board President Bruce Suppes
Boys & Girls Clubs of Tucson inducted Stephen Wolslager of El Paso, Texas, into its prestigious Lifetime Giving Society at its June 15 Board meeting. Wolslager, who serves as President of The Wolslager Foundation, was instrumental in directing significant funding from the Foundation to the Clubs from 2001-2014.
Emeritus Board Member and former BGCT Interim CEO Mark Irvin, in his introduction, praised Wolslager for his years of service to the Clubs, during which he assisted the administration in setting and achieving ambitious operational and fundraising goals. During that period, Wolslager paid many site visits to the Clubs, attended special events, and served as a judge for the Mark Irvin City of Tucson Youth of the Year Competition.
Founded by Wolslager's grandparents J.W. and Josephine Wolslager, The Wolslager Foundation was established to benefit those communities in the Southwest where the family owned Coca-Cola franchises. The late J.W. Wolslager directed that the assets of the Foundation be spent down to provide for generous gifts that would have a transformational impact in a short period of time to numerous not-for-profit organizations. Outside of the colleges and universities supported by the Foundation, Boys & Girls Clubs of Tucson received the largest share of the Foundation's philanthropy, more than $1.6 million.
In receiving the Lifetime Giving Society Benefactor Award, Wolslager said it had been his privilege to direct support to the Clubs because of the Board's outstanding level of commitment and the organization's attention to improvement and quality in program delivery. He said he remains impressed with the work of the Clubs today and is optimistic about the organization's future.
Words cannot do justice to the impact The Wolslager Foundation has had on Boys & Girls Clubs of Tucson. The Board of Directors, staff and volunteers, and especially our Club youth, are honored and indebted to Stephen Wolslager and Wolslager Foundation for their invaluable support! |
BGCT Alumni Receive Inaugural Award Recognizing Outstanding
Volunteer and Leadership Achievement
Board President Bruce Suppes, Alumni Award winners Alan Truong and David Johnson, and CEO Debbie Wagner
Alan Truong and David Johnson, two of the Clubs' finest alumni, are well on their way to great futures. And they are quick to thank Boys & Girls Clubs of Tucson for their progress. Truong and Johnson received BGCT's first annual Alumni Awards at the June 15 Board Meeting, where they reflected on their journeys, their time with the Clubs, and their educational and life goals.
Troung, a rising University of Arizona senior with a major in Psychology and a minor in Sociology, says, "It is thanks to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Tucson that I had the courage to apply for college." He says he is inspired "to make everyone who helped me proud," and to mentor others the same way he was mentored. "I want to pay it forward," he says.
Johnson is completing his Pre-Med studies at the University of Arizona. He credits his success to the encouragement of mentors at the Clubs and has confidence he can achieve his dreams. "I can get there. I just have to put the work in." Of his mentors at the Clubs, he says, "These people are awesome. I want to be them," adding that someday he wants to serve on a non-profit board.
To hear more from these outstanding young men, please watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gWunCz6aS8&feature=youtu.be
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Ashley Home Store's Project Hope to Dream Brought to Club Members by the Levitz Family
Board President Bruce Suppes, Amber Levitz, and CEO Debbie Wagner
The Levitz family has been supporting the Boys & Girls Clubs of Tucson for over 25 years. They have provided furniture for the holiday auction, furniture for our Clubhouses and provided over $200,000 in financial support. Now, the Levitz family is making sure that our kids have new beds to sleep in, a new pillow and new sheets.
Through Ashley Home Store's project Hope to Dream, the Levitz family is delivering 17 new beds to our Club members. Since its inception, participating Hope to Dream Ashley Home Stores have provided more than 25,000 children with mattresses of their own. The program's mission is to help children get the restful sleep they deserve by providing mattress sets and bedding to children in need. We are honored to be able to provide this gift to our kids and truly appreciate the Levitz family for their generosity and continued support of the Clubs.
To learn more or nominate a child, visit https://www.ashleyfurniturehomestore.com/hopetodream
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Extraordinary Volunteer Service Recognized by Board of Directors with Special Award
Kristy Dorsey-Bowker with Board President Bruce Suppes
When the Frank & Edith Morton Clubhouse opened its doors on November 3, 2003, Kristy Dorsey-Bowker was the first in line to volunteer. At the time, her daughter was a Club kid, and Dorsey-Bowker wanted to impress upon her the importance of giving back.
Dorsey-Bowker quickly became a fixture at the Morton Clubhouse, well-liked by the kids and staff alike. Later, her volunteer activities expanded to include support needed by the Administration and, on occasion, the other five Clubhouses. Over the years, she has mentored youth, made deliveries, prepared meals, staffed events, and poured her heart into whatever job needed doing. She is known for her homemade cookies and her mantra to the kids: "You are beautiful outside and in!"
Her daughter, in turn, became the Morton Clubhouse Youth of the Year in 2010. Today, Juliet Yardy serves in the BGCT staff position of Volunteer Coordinator.
For her exemplary service, the Board of Directors chose Dorsey-Bowker to receive the 2017 Volunteer Award, an accolade given to those whose commitment, contributions, and positive attitude go far and above the call of duty.
In receiving the award, a surprised and happy Dorsey-Bowker said she is grateful for what the Clubs have done for her. "The Clubs have given so much to my family. You get what you give to the organization, and I have been truly blessed!"
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Roy Drachman Clubhouse Opens One-of-a-Kind Fiesta Bowl Charities Teen Center
Jose Moreno (2nd from left) and Spirit (4th from left) of Fiesta Bowl Charities join BGCT representatives in cutting the ribbon at the Fiesta Bowl Charities Teen Center Grand Opening.
Teens attending the Roy Drachman Clubhouse in Tucson's Mission Manor Park neighborhood now have an amazing, one-of-a-kind teen center to call home after school and during the summer. The center, constructed with a generous gift from Fiesta Bowl Charities, has a fully-equipped weight room, cardio exercise room, computer stations, gaming stations, and movie viewing area. It also provides teens with a conference area for homework, academic mentoring, and special presentations.
Joining the ribbon-cutting festivities on June 16, 2017, were: Senior Director of Marketing and Community Relations for Fiesta Bowl Charities Jose Moreno, as well as Jerry Carbonari, Larry Johnson, Kelly Schindler, and "Spirit" of Fiesta Bowl Charities; Pima County Sheriff Mark Napier; Chad Kasmar of the Tucson Police Department; Nate Sigal and Kaylee Kinter, representing Congressman Raul Grijalva; Boys & Girls Clubs of Tucson Board President Bruce Suppes; and BGCT Emeritus Board Member Mark Irvin and Alan Young of the Arizona Bowl Committee.
The Fiesta Bowl Charities Teen Center is another example of the many ways the Clubs provide enriching options for Tucson's youth, ensuring engaging after-school activities designed to inspire great futures. Fiesta Bowl Charities works to champion charitable causes across the state of Arizona by enhancing the efforts of non-profit organizations that support youth, sports, and education.
Special thanks also go to project contractor M.W. Morrissey Construction and other key contributors, including BGCT Board Member Catherene Morton of Homestyle Galleries; Lute and Kelley Olson; Planet Fitness; Play It Again Sports; Star Pass Golf Resort; and the Facilities Committee of the Board of Directors of BGCT led by Board Member Aaron Skoczen.
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The Boys & Girls Clubs of Tucson will host its 26th Annual Steak & Burger Dinner fund raising event at the beautiful Casino Del Sol Resort on Sunday, October 1st at 5pm.
On this special occasion, Club Members dine with our guests and are treated to wonderful meals and raffle prizes. This year, all of our Clubhouse Youth of the Year Honorees will be awarded scholarships for having overcome adversity largely due to their affiliation with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Tucson.
In addition, our "Click for Kids" Award - the highest form of recognition for fundraising achievement within the Clubs - will be presented to Jeannie and Cole Davis.
Funds raised from this event will enable us to provide Tucson's kids with a safe place to go after school, quality programming, and a caring professional staff.
Click Here for Sponsorship Opportunities and Tickets
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Benefactor Update from Julie Butcher and Laurie Wetterschneider
We are pleased to report that almost 50% of our Board have secured funds for the summer Benefactor Program. When the other half of the Board bring in their funds, we will be able to reach our goal!
The Board has raised $73,487 and the community at large has raised $53,301.40, for a total of $126,788.40,
leaving $98,211.60 left to raise to reach our goal which is necessary to run our clubs.
WE ARE 56% TO OUR GOAL!
24 out of 56 have secured funds above their Board Dues, leaving 32 Board Members to please start your solicitations.
Todd Bisbocci
Julie Butcher
Juan Cardenas
Joe Cristiani - Senior Board
Nance Crosby - Senior Board
Vance Falbaum - Senior Board
Laura Feemster
Pam Grissom - Out of State Board Member
Mark Irvin - Emeritus Board
Nicole Jensen
Brittany Kagale
Spanky Nana
Laura McGlinn
Joe Moeller
Catherine Morton
Danielle Moser
Tom Muise
Kelly Olson
Julie Penny
Tom Robertson
Bruce Suppes
Jana Westerbeke - Senior Board
Laurie Wetterschneider - Emeritus and Senior Board
Jim Zarling - Senior Board
Please do not hesitate to reach out to us for any assistance that we can provide and also to share your successful ways for bringing in these much needed funds!
Julie Butcher and
Laurie Wetterschneider
Co-Chairs 2017 Benefactor Campaign
Boys & Girls Clubs of Tucson
[email protected]
Julie: 970-381-8600
Laurie: 520-429-0449
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Huge thanks to Frost Gelato for their amazing support of Boys & Girls Clubs! Laurie and Larry Wetterschneider funded Frost to bring out their Frost mobile gelato display to the Frank and Edith Morton Clubhouse, and not only did Frost match the amount of funds, they also are doing another clubhouse later this summer at no charge.
Please stop in for a delicious Gelato and let them know how much we appreciate their ongoing support of BGCT, as they also participate every year in THE EVENT!
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