Great Futures Moments - News from BGCSTL
A Message from our president, Dr. Flint Fowler
Over the last few years, our nation has been wrought with uncertainty and fear, as we grappled with the pandemic and the impact it was having on all of us. As a youth development organization, we surmised that the well-being of our kids was at stake as long as this public health crisis continued. We stepped up to the plate for our members, families and communities in Missouri and Illinois by keeping our Club doors open! 
 
I have the honor of witnessing the difference the Clubs make in the life of children and teens everyday. With safety as our top priority, we open our doors after school and during the summer to give young people access to a myriad of life-changing programs and services. With the help and support of our generous donors, volunteers, staff and friends, activities continue and lives were positively impacted. Below are just a few of the accomplishments from 2021.  
  •  Raised $11M for BGCSTL programs and services
  • The Great Futures Gala took place at the Upper Muny parking lot in Forest Park and raised over $650,000 for Club kids! The highlight of the evening was the announcement of the 2022 Youth of the Year winner, Lailah Green. This young woman’s accomplishments inspired the audience and made it the biggest fundraiser in BGCSTL history!   
  • Frank Leta Automotive Group presented the 2022 Youth of the Year winner, Lailah Green of O’Fallon Park Club, with a car! She also received the Wanda and Michael DeHaven $5,000 scholarship and a celebratory dinner at the Saint Louis Club. Congrats Lailah! 
  • Secured over $5M in grants and contracts. 
  • Thanks to the generous St. Louis community and a matching grant from Midwest BankCentre, we raised nearly $20,000 - the most ever - on GiveSTL Day! 
  • Our young professionals group, Friends of the Club, hosted their very first virtual trivia night. This Miami Vice themed event raised funds to support Club operations. 
  • Our 13th Annual Table for Four Luncheon sponsored by the Women's Leadership Circle was held on the field at Busch Stadium and really hit it out of the park for our Club kids! The event attracted nearly 350 guests and raised nearly $95,000 to support essential Club programs like SMART Girls. Club member D'Aura T. (Teen Center of Excellence) was awarded the 2021 Joan Silber Award for Volunteerism & Leadership during the ceremonies. 
  • The Jim Butler Charity Golf Classic sold out and broke revenue records by raising nearly $365,000 to support our area youth! Two Club members, Raykell B. (Riverview Gardens Club) and Tyrell H. (Teen Center of Excellence) were selected as recipients of the inaugural Jim Butler Sportsmanship Award, in memory of Jim's devotion and service to the mission of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater St. Louis.
  • The Bethalto community rallied to support Club kids by hosting a hybrid golf tournament in the summer and their 25th Annual Help Kids Dinner Auction in the fall.
  • The Women’s Leadership Circle sponsored a personal hygiene products drive and hosted their Annual Holiday Sip & Shop to support our young women at the Club. 
  • Our media partners continued to promote our programs, events and successes in 2021! Media attention and coverage for the year included over 381 stories, reaching an audience of over 89,202,637 and a publicity value of $3.2 million. Click here to view our 2021 Media Highlights Reel
  • Mr. Martin Mathews, co-founder of the Mathews-Dickey Boys & Girls Club, was honored with the “Capture the Vision Award” which is presented to an individual who demonstrates their devoted service to the Club through tireless innovation.
  • The tennis courts at Mathews-Dickey Club were renovated thanks to a partnership with Project 5 (KSDK), City Academy, TEGNA and USTA. They also beautified the surrounding area.
  • BGCSTL was one of three charity partners for the Ascension Charity Classic. They presented us with a $200k check as well as featured us in every media opportunity presented to them. Brand Awareness/Media Impact from a local and national paid media perspective including TV, radio, print and outdoor advertising the Ascension Charity Classic earned over 41 million impressions - Combined with 1,000+ individual mentions across all media outlets and the estimated total media/PR value exceeded $2.5 million!
  • Inducted seven former Club members into the BGCSTL Alumni Hall of Honor and celebrated staff, board members, volunteers and supporters for their commitment to our Club children with a virtual and in person Annual Recognition Event.
  • The Bethalto Club sponsored 23 families, including 57 kids, for Christmas. Sponsors included the Bethalto Police Department, Cottage Hills Veterans of Foreign Wars, Bethalto American Legion Auxiliary, Kiwanis Club of Bethalto, board members, alumni, and community members. All children received clothes and multiple gifts from them wish list. Half of the families also received a holiday meal and a large box of food.
  • T-Mobile partnered with the Bethalto Club to sponsor summer activities including coffee and doughnuts for parents and kids with drawings for prizes and brought a snow cone truck for members. They also provided a hot spot for the Club.
  • Mentoring was provided through the OJJDP grant, with staff mentoring 111 members throughout the year. Even more important is the role of Keystone members who served as mentors to younger members, helping them with homework, playing games with them, and just giving them the extra attention they needed.
  • Lovejoy Club obtained a one-time grant from United Way to assist students with managing the digital divide. Ten laptops were purchased for members to keep for college or trade school planning.
  • The St. Louis Internship Program secured internships for 67 members; Eight members received their Culinary Excellence - ServeSafe Certification; Pre-Internship Component (PIC) - 19 participants with 7 moving on to apply for SLIP; 10 CPR/First Aid/AED certifications; Virtual Career Fair with 38 participants and 17 presenters; Geographic Information Systems Certification - 4 members; Geospatial Intelligence Certification by the UW Geospatial Intelligence Foundation - 3 members
  • BGCSTL partnered with City Faces at Washington University to provide 110 volunteers to participate in our Mentor St. Louis program! They meet with students at Aspire, Lexington, Jefferson and Adams Elementary schools twice monthly for an hour to mentor and work on literacy programming with Club members!
Table for Four
Our highly anticipated women leader’s lunch, Table for Four, is on April 14, 2022, 11 am – 1 pm at the Ritz-Carlton! Grab your colleagues and/or closest friends to support activities and experiences designed to help girls develop healthy lifestyles, positive self-esteem and make good decisions. The Joan Ellyn Silber Award for Volunteerism and Leadership will be given to one of our teen girls during the event. For more information, contact Anne Ramsey at 314-335-8014. Special thanks to our 2022 Table for Four Chairpersons: Karen Jordan| Dentons US, LLP,
Lauren Herring| Impact Group and Purvi Maniar| Norton Rose Fulbright. To purchase tables or sponsor, click here. Questions? Click here.
Camp for Kids & Teens in MO & IL
Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater St. Louis (BGCSTL) is excited to be able to bring area kids and teens another summer of friends, activities and exploration, the way only Boys & Girls Clubs can. Rest assured that we are operating in accordance with all health and safety protocols and that we will continue to do whatever it takes to give your child the best summer experience possible. Campers will find trained and professional staff who will listen and guide them throughout the summer plus opportunities for creativity, sports and recreation, swimming, teen and STEM programs, music studio, and Esports. Membership is $25 annually. Register your kid or teen NOW! Click here for location camp dates and fees where applicable.
BGC Bethalto Dinner Auction Recap
Boys & Girls Club of Bethalto held its 25th annual Help Kids Dinner Auction at Julia’s Banquet Center in East Alton. This is the organization’s largest fundraising event that supports the mission and provides much-needed programming year-round for members.

The Disco Fever themed event was a huge success with over 150 attendees and raising $41,000! Highlights of the evening included the ever-popular dessert auction, designer purse raffle, treasure chest auction and traditional silent and live auctions with great gifts and experiences from a room makeover to Cardinal Green Seats.

Special thanks to the Boys & Girls Club of Bethalto Community Board, Beverage Sponsor: First Mid Bank & Trust, Food Sponsor: Laux Brick House, Treasure Chest Sponsor: Anderson Healthcare, Purse Raffle Sponsor: Galanti & Patti Law Office, P.C., Dessert Raffle Sponsor: Geno's 140 Club and Major Ad Sponsor: Edward Jones- Ken Harmon. Click here for more.
BGC Bethalto Recognition Event

Boys & Girls Club of Bethalto honored board members, community partners and staff at their recent Recognition Event for their commitment to the Boys & Girls Clubs as well as the kids and teens that we serve. Congrats to all of the following honorees! Click here to view the honorees.
Save the Date!

State of the Club, April 7 (virtual)

Table for Four, April 14

Casino Night, May 13

Jim Butler Charity Golf
Classic, June 27

Great Futures Gala October 26
IWALL Hits Clubs
While COVID has had a great impact on the amount of physical activity kids might be involved in, BGCSTL found an innovative way to get members exercising with the new iWall! Located at Teen Center of Excellence, Mathews-Dickey, Adams Park and Herbert Hoover Clubs, the iWall is a fun and versatile exergaming product that lets Club members become a part of the game! Staff will be able to set up multiplayer modes in one of the several fitness games. Playing this interactive fitness game is easy and motivating for both kids and adults, and thanks to its diverse game content, iWall can be used for efficient exercise, training, a simple workout, or just for good old Club fun!
WWE Visits Herbert Hoover Club
As part of their WWE Royal Rumble Week in St. Louis, WWE Superstars and Cricket Wireless teamed up for a Be a STAR bullying prevention rally at the Herbert Hoover Club. The rally, which encourages kids to manage emotions and treat others with respect, kicked off with a surprise $5000 cash donation to a deserving Boys & Girls Club family. The donation, provided by Cricket Wireless, will be used by the family to pay for utilities and purchase new clothing for the children. To view pictures from the event, click here.
Companies Needed to Place Summer Interns

The St. Louis Internship Program is building a pipeline of diverse 21st century talent.

SLIP’s goal is to provide hope and opportunity to high school students in financial need through paid summer internships, intensive employability training, and year-round college and career planning. In partnership with businesses and organizations, SLIP is building the St. Louis community by developing a motivated, well-trained and talented future workforce.  
 
The SLIP team continuously works to recruit new employers, while retaining partners from previous years, to hire our interns for the summer. Leading St. Louis business partners include Emerson, Polsinelli PC, Cushman & Wakefield, Lashly & Baer, RubinBrown, SM Wilson, BAMSL, Unleashing Potential, Armstrong Teasdale and Anders CPA.
 
To join the innovative, impactful and cost-effective SLIP Summer 2022 intern program as a company willing to host interns, contact Lisa Brunts, Workforce Development Recruiter at or Shanise Johnson, Director. For additional information, click here.

Thanks to PBS for featuring our St. Louis Internship Program and the value it adds to area teens! Catch it here if you missed it!, here.
The Neighborhood Healing Network (NHN) program housed at our Adams Park Club continues to provide additional resources, help with social services, victim services, trauma workshops, support groups and confidential assistance to families in need. Upcoming support groups offered for the next few months include:
Closed group: Survivors of Homicide, March 7- April 25, Monday's from 5:30pm to 7:00pm.
Open group: Community Violence Support Group, the 3rd Saturday of each month from 10:00 am - 12:00 pm starting Saturday, March 19.

Thanks to ARCHS (Area Resources for Community and Human Services) for choosing us as a partner. For more information, contact Brenisha at 314-335-8211 or here.
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Thanks to the following grant partners for doing “Whatever it Takes” to provide GREAT FUTURES to Club kids and teens!
Click here for a full list.
The mission of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater St. Louis (BGCSTL) is to inspire and enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to realize their full potential as productive, responsible and caring citizens. BGCSTL provides after-school, teen, sports and summer programs to youth across the Bi-State Region while also providing a safe place for them to learn and grow. The Clubs serve youth across the region at twelve locations, including (Adams Park Club, Boys & Girls Club of Bethalto, Boys & Girls Club of Lovejoy, Hazelwood Elementary School Club, Herbert Hoover Club, Mathews-Dickey Club, Normandy High School, O’Fallon Park Club, Riverview Gardens Club, Roosevelt High School, Hazelwood Southeast Middle School Club and the Teen Center of Excellence). We also operate Mentor St. Louis and the St. Louis Internship Program.
2901 North Grand Blvd
St. Louis, MO 63107
Phone: (314) 335-8000