2019 at the Clubs
This past school year, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Portland Metro served over 6,000 youth in our after-school and summer programs at 10 Club locations. Over 250 youth were enrolled in our Youth & Family Services program, which provided 9,000 hours of additional, wrap-around supports that helped kids, teens, and families in our community. And, we developed and implemented quarterly race, equity, and bias training programs for our Club staff.
Highlights from this year included…
Youth Learning, Growing, Excelling and Giving Back
At our Wattles Club last March, families got a chance to get to know Rodney Hood, Portland Trail Blazer and a Club alum, during a fun Family Night provided by our friends at Comcast.
Kids from several of our Clubs got to participate in the Portland Film Fest Future Filmmakers program, where they got to direct and star in their own movies. These seasonally-themed monster movies screened at the film festival in October and were available on Comcast OnDemand. Want to see one of these incredible kid-made films? Watch “The Curse of the Mummy’s Medallion” >>
The Keystone Club at Inukai Family Boys & Girls Club hosted their very own mental health expo to raise awareness about emotional wellness and connect the Hillsboro community with mental health resources.
We celebrated our graduating seniors at Daimler Trucks NA, during our annual Senior Celebration! 100% of the teens attending last year graduated from high school. Teens talked about their experiences at the Clubs and their plans for the future.
We were proud to name Joliesse Carmona-Perez from our Blazers Club our 2019-20 Youth of the Year. This exceptional young woman, who is already working hard to advocate for others from her position on the Multnomah Youth Commission, dreams of becoming a lawyer and a politician.
New & Improved Spaces at the Clubs
Rockwood Club touted their solar panels, which are expected to save the Clubs $18,000 in energy costs each year.
In April, Inukai Family Club hosted the grand opening of its beautiful green play space in what was once a hot, dusty asphalt lot. Thanks to our partners at Depave and a community effort, the kids now have a garden area, stage to put on their own productions, a rainbow hued mural that the youth helped plan and paint in tandem with muralist Arturo.
Our newest North Clackamas Clubs held their first summer. Alder Creek and Wilbur Rowe teens set up camp at New Urban High school, and Lot Whitcomb kids enjoyed a sunny fun at their school. They held some truly incredible programs, including a PhotoVoice project, a pride parade, trips to OMSI, and visits from the Zoo ZAP team to meet reptiles and other critters.
Blazers Club was the lucky recipient of a variety of projects to create more beautiful spaces for our youth, including a new Michael’s MakeSpace where they have digital art making supplies, sculpture supplies, and all the colored pencils and markers your heart could dream of. The Trail Blazers team revamped our Literacy Room into a STEM-friendly space that now holds not just a library, but LEGO tables, all new furniture for more focused programs, and an incredible map of Portland painted by Alex Chiu. Plus, Hassan Whiteside made an appearance at the grand opening to shoot hoops with youth and play in a NBA2k tournament.
Oak Grove Club moved to Riverside Elementary school this fall, as North Clackamas School District renovates our neighbors at New Urban High School.
Incredible Events, Announcements, & Generosity
Our annual Be Great Ball raised over $610,000 for Portland Metro youth! This incredible event honored the dreams that are shaped and empowered by the incredible programs we provide at the Clubs. See some of the dreams our kids, staff and alums have in this video shown at the event.
Over the summer, golf pros and business leaders raised over $200,000 for Portland youth at the first annual Daimler Trucks North America Driving Our Future Golf Classic.
Boys & Girls Clubs of America released a new Agenda for America’s Youth, focusing on policies and a plan of action that addresses some of the most pressing issues facing young people today.
Volunteers made a huge difference for our organization, volunteering at events and in the Clubs. Just last fall, individual volunteers contributed over $21,300 of value in their volunteer hours. We highlighted a few of the ways volunteers have discovered their calling, brought their unique experiences, and made an incredible impact on our Clubs in blog interviews throughout the year.
And we rounded out the year with Family Feasts at Clubs, along with hundreds of boxes of food, toys, coats, and other basics for youth and their families to enjoy this winter during the holidays.
