Boys & Girls Clubs of the Twin Cities Named Top-Rated Nonprofit

We are honored to have received a spot on the GreatNonprofits 2018 Top-Rated List! The GreatNonprofits Top-Rated Awards is the only people’s choice award for nonprofits. Volunteers, donors, and those served by nonprofits are asked to share stories of inspiration and express their appreciation to help nonprofits earn a spot on this prestigious list. Thank you to everyone who helped us achieve this distinction by sharing their stories. You can read reviews of the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Twin Cities and add your own here!

For the Kids! Benefit Raises More than $700,000

The 57th annual For the Kids! benefit on Friday, October 12 was a huge success! For the first time ever, the benefit was held in U.S. Bank Stadium. Almost 600 guests enjoyed cocktail hour, games, and a silent auction in the Hyundai Club before walking down to the field for dinner and our program, which featured speeches from Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, 2018 Youth of the Year Heaven Cunningham, and East Side Club alumna Paris Yarbrough.

In another "first," guests were able to see our programming in action as we recreated one of our literacy classrooms right in the Hyundai Club. K-3 members led guests through literacy activities and handed out gold star stickers to those who participated.

In total, we raised more than $700,000 for the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Twin Cities. Thank you to everyone who attended, volunteered, and donated to For the Kids!

Club Members Participate in Lieutenant Governor Candidate Youth Forum

On October 3, Boys & Girls Club members from across the state joined us at our East Side Club for a Q&A with then Lieutenant Governor candidates Peggy Flanagan and Donna Bergstrom, moderated by KARE 11's Camille Williams. Teens had the opportunity to ask the candidates questions about the issues that matter most to them, like funding for after-school programs, access to mental health care, and gun violence prevention.

Danielle Robinson Inspires the Next Generation of Girls to Hoop

Danielle Robinson and women from the Minnesota Timberwolves & Lynx offices visited our Jerry Gamble Club on October 8 with the Her Time to Play initiative. Sports like basketball teach young people important life skills, including teamwork, leadership, and self-confidence. However, twice as many girls compared to boys drop out of sports by the age of 14. Her Time To Play aims to inspire the next generation of girls to play basketball in a positive and healthy way.

Sunday Night Football Bus Makes Stop at Jerry Gamble Club

Club members were in for an exciting evening when the Sunday Night Football on NBC tour bus pulled up to our Jerry Gamble Club on October 26! Members got to tour the bus, hang out with Minnesota Vikings cheerleaders and NFL legends Esera Tuaolo and Rickey Young, and decorate their own footballs!

The crowd then gathered in the gym to vote on the best football entry. The winning ball, decorated by Ja’Naya Reeves, will be displayed on the bus as it tours the country all season long.

Thank you to Comcast and NBC Universal for making this special event possible!

PROGRAMMING UPDATE

ALL KIDS CAN SUCCEED!

In September, we expanded our remarkably successful literacy program to serve more members. All kindergarten - sixth graders participated in a FALL Literacy Assessment, increasing the number enrolled in Comprehensive Literacy Instruction from 306 in 2017-2018 to the current number of 669 kids.

Developed by the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Twin Cities, the Literacy Program is an innovative and comprehensive approach that embeds positive youth development and social and emotional learning (SEL) methods with literacy instruction.

Program components include evidenced-based literacy strategies that align with MN Common Core Standards, parent engagement opportunities, regular assessments (utilizing the FastBridge Learning FAST assessment tool), and positive behavior intervention strategies.

Our goal is to ensure that EVERY YOUNG PERSON has mastered the reading skills necessary to transition from learning to read to reading to learn before the fourth grade .

Kids Can Give Holiday Gift Drive

Every December, Club members are asked to give a small donation that supports a youth-driven celebration at each Club. In return, they are able to "shop" for gifts for their families at the Kids Can Give stores set up in each of the Clubs. Gifts are wrapped on-site and sent home with the kids just in time for the holidays. This experience teaches Club members the importance of giving back and provides meaningful memories for all involved.

In order to make this event possible, we need to collect gifts for family members of all ages, from toddler to adult. Our Kids Can Give gift drive runs now through December 14th. Please consider donating to the gift drive and helping a child fulfill his or her holiday wish! You can collect gifts at your place of business or make it a family event. Financial donations are also accepted and will be used to purchase additional gifts and wrapping paper. Please contact Stephanie Siegel at ssiegel@bgc-tc.org or 651-200-4105 for more information

You Can Change a Child's Life

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With your support, we can continue to provide life-changing academic, leadership, and healthy lifestyles programming to youth across the Twin Cities.