September Spotlight

In this issue:

Keeping Our Kids Safe - and Making Every Dollar Go Further
25 Years of Investing in Kids: a Board Chairman's Perspective
When Schools Out, Opportunity Shouldn't Be
Community Support Makes a Difference
October & November Calendars

Keeping Our Kids Safe - and Making Every Dollar Go Further!

As an organization that serves children and families, one of our greatest responsibilities is making sure the Boys & Girls Club is the safest place possible for the kids who walk through our doors. After all, our kids are treasures, and they deserve to be protected.

Across the country, youth-serving organizations have had to take a closer look at facility security and how we can better protect the young people in our care. Two years ago, we saw an opportunity to be proactive and applied for a Nonprofit Security Grant Program through the Montana Department of Emergency Services. We were fortunate to receive funding that allowed us to make several important security improvements at the Club.

One of those improvements was replacing our existing windows with shatter-resistant glass. We also added security cameras in areas identified as potential risk and entry points. Fencing slats along the street were installed to minimize visual exposure for kids playing outside on the playground.

This fall, as we were transitioning from summer programming into our after-school program, Central Builders of Montana performed what felt like a small miracle—replacing 34 windows in less than a week! I cannot say enough about Dan Martin and his team. They worked quickly, professionally, and with tremendous consideration for the fact that we were simultaneously preparing the building for a new school year.

What does this investment mean to us?

First and foremost, it means added security. It is another way we are doing everything within our ability to provide a safe and secure environment for the children we serve. We know we cannot eliminate every risk, but we can take responsible steps to prepare, protect and make our facility as secure as possible.

But there is another benefit we are excited about: energy efficiency.

The new windows will help us reduce our utility costs, which is something we watch very closely. Every dollar we save on building operations is another dollar that can be directed toward programs, staffing and opportunities for kids.

Five years ago, we installed solar panels at the Club to help offset our electricity costs. And that invest has paid off - most months we generate enough power that our electric bill is almost none, although we still have a gas bill for our boiler system. Still, much less than before. The window project is another step in that same philosophy—make wise investments, take care of our building, and stretch every dollar as far as possible.

We are incredibly grateful that funding was available through the nonprofit security grant program to make this project possible. Pursuing opportunities like this is an important part of our responsibility as an organization. We continually look for grants, partnerships and other resources that allow us to make necessary capital improvements without taking dollars away from the programs our community counts on.

A safer building. A more energy-efficient building. And, ultimately, more resources available for kids.

That is what making every dollar go further looks like at the Boys & Girls Club.

And to Central Builders of Montana, Dan Martin and his entire team—thank you. Your work made a significant improvement to our Club in an incredibly short amount of time, and we are grateful for the care you put into helping us create a safer place for the kids we serve.

25 Years of Investing in Kids: a Board Chairman's Perspective

Jennifer Weeden, Board Chair

When I first became involved with the Boys & Girls Club of Lewistown, I wasn't a board member. I wasn't a community leader. I was simply a mom.

My husband and I were both working long hours, doing what so many young families do—trying to make ends meet, build a life and give our kids everything we could. But I also understood something that I still believe today: a child cannot have too many positive adults in their life.

Regardless of a family's circumstances, kids need people who will encourage them, challenge them, listen to them and believe in them.

For our family, the Boys & Girls Club of Lewistown became one of those places. At that point, Hannah was in 4^th, Scott in 2^nd and Mathew in Kindergarten. Busy. Learning. Growing.

Our kids had adults at the Club who cared about them. They had people who encouraged them, taught them, and helped them grow. They were given opportunities to try new things, make mistakes, discover their strengths and become the best versions of themselves.

As parents, we were incredibly grateful.

I suppose it was only natural that, at some point, I would want to give something back.

I'm a doer. If I see something that needs to be done, I tend to want to roll up my sleeves and get to work. I like seeing things grow, change and become better. So when Abby Franks asked me to get involved with the capital campaign to buy the church that is now the Club, it didn't take much convincing.

That was my first real volunteer involvement with the Club. And, as often happens, one thing led to another. The Festival of Trees committee needed more support. I raised my hand again. So glad I did.

Eventually, I joined the Board of Directors in 2019. That was when I began to see the Boys & Girls Club from an entirely different perspective. I saw what happened behind the scenes—the planning, the fundraising, the hard conversations, the problem-solving and, most importantly, the passion.

I saw people who genuinely cared about making things better for the kids of Fergus County. I also began to understand that an organization like this doesn't simply continue because people want it to. It continues because people are willing to work for it.

Over the years, I had the privilege of helping lead change alongside an incredibly dedicated group of board members. We shared a common goal: to make sure the Boys & Girls Club of Lewistown wasn't just here for the kids of today, but that it would still be here for the kids of tomorrow.

Six years ago, I became Chairman of the Board. It has been one of the most fulfilling roles I have ever had. It has also been a front-row seat to change.

We have navigated the enormous challenges that came with COVID. We have experienced changes in leadership. We have watched families' needs evolve and the way children are being raised change. We've seen new opportunities emerge and have had to continually ask ourselves how the Club can best serve the community around us.

Through all of it, one thing has remained constant: the kids.

As I look at the Boys & Girls Club today, particularly as we celebrate 25 years in our community, I find myself in awe of how far we've come. And I know that progress didn't happen by accident.

It happened because, 25 years ago, forward-thinking people in this community believed that children deserved a safe, positive place to go after school and during the summer. It happened because parents trusted the Club with their most precious treasures. It happened because staff members showed up every day and cared deeply about the kids in front of them. It happened because volunteers gave their time, energy and creativity. It happened because donors believed in the mission and invested in the future. And it happened because community leaders were willing to look beyond the immediate needs and ask, “What will our community need years from now?”

That is the history of the Boys & Girls Club of Lewistown. It is not really a history of a building or an organization. It is a history of people.

People who saw a need and acted. People who opened their checkbooks. People who volunteered. People who served on boards. People who worked with kids. People who believed that every child deserves adults in their corner. And people who understood that when we invest in children, we are investing in the future of our entire community.

I am proud to have been a small part of that story. I am proud that my own children were beneficiaries of the Club's mission. I am proud to have served alongside so many people who have given their time and talents to make this organization stronger. And I am especially proud that, 25 years later, we are still asking the same fundamental question:

How can we make life better for the kids in our community?

As chairman, I know my role is not simply to celebrate what has been accomplished. It is also to help make sure we continue building for what comes next.

The first 25 years were built by people who believed in the possibility of what the Boys & Girls Club could become. Now it is our responsibility to carry that vision forward. I am excited to see what the next 25 years will look like. Because if history has taught me anything, it is this:

When a community comes together around its kids, remarkable things can happen.

And I can't think of anything more worthy of our time, our energy and our investment.

Community Support Makes a Difference

Sometimes making a difference at the Boys & Girls Club of Lewistown happens inside our doors, and sometimes it happens just outside them!

Overgrown trees along the property line of the Club’s adjoining rental home had become a growing concern. With roof issues already needing attention and Montana winds adding to the risk, it was clear the trees needed some professional TLC.

The home itself has a special connection to the Club. Originally the rectory when our building

was a church, it became part of the property when the Club purchased the facility and is now

home to a longtime Club mom.

Amy Vaughan, CEO reached out to Club parent Slade Murray, owner of Lewistown Tree

Service, LLC, about the situation. Slade generously stepped in and provided the needed tree

trimming as an in-kind donation to the Club.

The difference was immediate. The work improved safety, helped protect the surrounding

structures, and gave the entire area a much-needed facelift. We are incredibly fortunate to have Club families and local businesses who see a need and step up to help fill it. Thank you to Slade Murray and Lewistown Tree Service, LLC for donating your time, equipment, and expertise to make our Club grounds safer and better looking. It’s another great example of our community taking care of the places, and people, that take care of our kids.

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