The Boys & Girls Club Story

Denzel Drop-In to Queen Latifah Show Shocks Nat'l. YOY Maryah

During an appearance yesterday on “The Queen Latifah Show,” National Youth of the Year Maryah Sullivan got the surprise of her life when Club alum and BGCA National Spokesperson Denzel Washington showed up with roses for her.

Shaken but steady, the eloquent and elated Maryah gracefully accepted the gorgeous red roses, as well as Denzel’s kind words. Plus, Queen Latifah presented Maryah gifts from Sony, a big-screen TV and $10,000 donation for her Club, the Joe R. Lee Branch of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Florida.

All in all, an awesome segment and a sparkling appearance by our teen spokesperson. The episode is scheduled to air in most markets tomorrow. Check here for the time and station in your area. And check out the clip below for a sneak peek.

 

Maryah Sullivan Named National Youth of the Year

National Youth of the Year Maryah Sullivan

Congratulations to Maryah Sullivan, who was named Boys & Girls Clubs of America's 2014 National Youth of the Year about an hour ago during a Congressional Breakfast in Washington, D.C.

Maryah, who hails from the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Florida, will serve as BGCA’s official teen spokesperson and teen ambassador over the next year. Many thanks to Tupperware Brands for its generous sponsorship of the Youth of the Year program.

To learn more about Maryah and her five exceptional co-finalists, please visit BGCA.org/YOY.

Classes in Session at Great Futures High School

Established in 1893, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Hudson County, N.J., is one of the 53 founding organizations of what is today Boys & Girls Clubs of America. With a rich history of serving Jersey City, and more recently Hoboken, the Club continues to build on its legacy while remaining contemporary and relevant in kids’ lives.

The Club and Great Futures High School share this beautiful new space in downtown Jersey City.

Executive Director Gary Greenberg has been with the Club 39 years now. Through the years, Gary has seen multiple transformations, challenges and even tragedy. Two years ago, the Hoboken Club was destroyed by Hurricane Sandy, then rebuilt in the wake of the disaster. Through it all, the organization’s progressive vision has remained clear. This was most recently illustrated with the Sept. 3 opening of its latest Club in downtown Jersey City, an amazing example of what is possible when a community comes together for a common goal.

A partnership with the Jersey City Medical Center, city government, a charter school and two development corporations is what built the state-of-the-art facility. Their collective efforts to provide kids and teens with resources and opportunities to succeed resulted not only in the new Club … it also created the Great Futures Charter High School for the Health Sciences. That’s right – Great Futures High School.

Gary and me.

Hundreds attended the ribbon cutting, including the 125 teenagers who are the inaugural class of Great Futures High. Also in attendance were Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop, city council members, and past and present Club board members, including current chair Gary Zampella.

Located in a residential building, the 35,000-square-foot space operates as the school during the day and the Club after school. It includes a gym with basketball courts, classrooms, science labs, recording studio and a teaching kitchen. UPS, Comcast and Best Buy also lent their support to get the facility up and running.

This innovative approach also extended to the school’s curriculum. In addition to classes that align with common core standards, students can take college courses for credit toward both degree and professional certification programs, including emergency medical technician training, x-ray technician training and respiratory therapist certification. And with Jersey City Medical Center just a light rail stop away, teens can quickly shuttle back and forth for hands-on training and experiential learning.

Boys & Girls Clubs of Hudson County is redefining the opportunity equation and creating a direct pathway for job readiness and future careers. As Great Futures High enrolls more students and the community acclimates to the new space, Gary (who is also the vice chair of the G.F.H.S. board) anticipates significant growth in membership and average daily attendance.

There’s a lot to be proud of in Jersey City, where the Boys & Girls Club and Great Futures High School offer a beacon of hope, opportunity and access to quality out-of-school time programs to help thousands of kids and teens pursue academic success, achieve good character and citizenship, and lead healthy lifestyles – a strong foundation for any great future.

Partnering for Progress

A visit last week to Auburn, Ala., reminded me of the tremendous progress that partnerships can spur. How they can galvanize a community to come together for a greater good. In this case, that greater good is the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Lee County, and the kids and teens it serves.

This little guy showed me his homework.

In addition to touring the Club’s two units in Auburn and neighboring Opelika and spending time with Club members, I’d been invited to speak at a luncheon hosted by Auburn University President Jay Gogue and his wife, Susie. And what a turnout.

There had to be 300 people there, from local civic leaders and business leaders to elected officials, community stakeholders and university trustees and coaches. They included Wanda Lewis and Rev. Clifford Jones, the Club’s executive director and CVO, respectively, along with staff and leadership from other nearby Boys & Girls Club organizations, as well as Opelika Mayor Gary Fuller and Auburn Mayor Bill Ham.

The Club's work with the University is a great example of community partnership in action. It includes a service learning program where Auburn students volunteer two-and-a-half hours a week tutoring Club members and helping with our homework help program, Power Hour. The university's work-study program, which places some students with part-time jobs at the Club, also allows the Club to extend staffing without increasing payroll. And the College of Human Sciences’ Women’s Philanthropy Board has partnered with the Club since 2010 to offer Real Cents, Real Change, a 12-month learning series to help teens understand financial and philanthropic responsibility.

Strong relationships with local education helped advance Club members' academic success. The school districts from both communities provide on-site liaisons, who coordinate tutoring and recruit volunteers, including retired teachers. This support has enabled the organization to increase its impact and its workforce to help kids do better at school.

To my mind, partnerships such as these in Lee County are prime examples of how Clubs can fulfill the three priority outcome areas of Academic Success, Good Character and Citizenship, and Healthy Lifestyles, the foundation of our Great Futures Impact Plan.

High-five!

My visit also included a press conference about critical issues kids face in Lee County and across the country. I spoke about the Great Futures Campaign and the national spotlight it places on our children's critical needs, the solutions Boys & Girls Clubs offer, and its catalytic energy to bring others together and focus on redefining the opportunity equation for kids who need us most. Later, a town-hall-style meeting with volunteers from the Club and community was held to dig further at the issues and how the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Lee County is building their strategy to make a larger impact.

The day concluded by meeting with the National Leadership Congress, another national community-based organization that answered our call to assist in changing the dynamics for kids. Toby Warren leads this institution and believes deeply in our mission and vision.

It was a most eventful and productive visit with our friends in Lee County. I look forward to working in unison with them as we continue to strive to give our kids access to the great futures they deserve.