Donor Gives $500K to Support New DeSoto Club and Kids’ Health

With a desire to make a positive impact on the health and well-being of children and teens, a longtime supporter of Boys & Girls Clubs of Manatee County recently gave a $500,000 gift to Invest In Kids, the organization’s capital campaign to build a new DeSoto Boys & Girls Club. The donor, who asked to remain anonymous, made the gift in support of the new Club’s commercial kitchen/culinary arts area, which will be a vital component of the Club’s Healthy Lifestyles programming.

The new Club’s commercial kitchen will better accommodate the cooking and nutritional programs that are offered. The current Club’s kitchen has limited space, which forces larger groups to use a multi-purpose room and tabletop cooking equipment. The new Club’s state-of-the-art culinary kitchen will provide future chefs of all ages with hands-on experience and lessons in nutrition, healthy eating, kitchen safety and proper food preparation. The new kitchen and its future programs will also serve as a way for members to explore career paths in the culinary arts. Plans include visits by local chefs who will share their expertise.

“The new Club’s increased member capacity from 240 to 600 kids daily, combined with the commercial kitchen and garden, will allow us to provide more of our community’s youth with valuable garden-to-table life skills that encourage healthy living,” said Dawn Stanhope, President and CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Manatee County. “This is just one example of how the thoughtful generosity of our campaign donors will transform more young lives.”

To date, the Invest In Kids capital campaign has raised $5.7 million for the new Club (total campaign goal is $7.5 million). Recent gifts to the campaign have helped the organization reach the funding needed in order to begin construction in the spring of 2018. The new Club will replace the existing DeSoto Club, located at 5231 34th Street West in Bradenton. The current DeSoto Club, built five decades ago, will continue to operate while the new Club is being built on the east end of the property, located at the intersection of 53rd Avenue West and 30th Street West.

More information about the campaign and ways to give, contact Francine Diemer, Chief Development Officer for Boys & Girls Clubs of Manatee County at 941-761-2582 or via email to francine.diemer@bgcmanatee.org.

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Selby Foundation Awards $250K Grant for New DeSoto Club

The William G. and Maria Selby Foundation awarded Boys & Girls Clubs of Manatee County a $250,000 grant for Invest In Kids, the capital campaign to build a new DeSoto Boys & Girls Club. The gift not only helped push the amount raised to date to over $5 million (total campaign goal is $7.5 million), but it will also allow construction to begin in the spring of 2018.

“We’re excited to be contributing to such a vital project for the children and families in the community,” said Carol Butera, Executive Director of the William G. and Maria Selby Foundation. “With this gift, the Foundation will be able to help Boys & Girls Clubs of Manatee County serve almost triple the number of youth at this location.”

“We admire the Selby Foundation’s longstanding commitment to helping young people,” said Caleb Grimes, Chairman of the Invest In Kids campaign. “Their commitment parallels the Boys & Girls Clubs’ mission to enable all young people to reach their full potential. It’s very symbolic that their generous contribution enables us to begin building the new Club, which will provide hope and opportunity for our youth for generations.”

The Foundation’s investment includes the naming rights to the Multipurpose/Public Reception Room, which will be available for public use when the Club is not in session. The state-of-the-art Club will replace the existing DeSoto Club, located at 5231 34th Street West in Bradenton. The current Club, which has served the community for five decades, will continue to operate while the new Club is being built on the east end of the property, located at the intersection of 53rd Avenue West and 30th Street West.

“We are so pleased with this gift from the Selby Foundation and the timing couldn’t be any better,” said Dawn Stanhope, President & CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Manatee County. “With end of the year giving at its peak now, we are hoping to inspire more donors. Given the current uncertainty regarding new tax legislation, there isn’t a better time to give appreciated stock or funds from an IRA rollover.”

 

More information about the campaign and ways to give, contact Francine Diemer, Chief Development Officer for Boys & Girls Clubs of Manatee County at 941-761-2582 or via email to francine.diemer@bgcmanatee.org.

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What We Do Matters

 

Last week, we held our annual meeting with staff and board members. We celebrated accomplishments, thanked outgoing board members, welcomed incoming board members, witnessed the swearing in of our corporate board officers and were inspired by mission moments shared by a few of our Club Directors. During the swearing in ceremony, Ken Thomas raised his right hand to, once again, accept the role of Corporate Board Chair in 2018.

We recalled when Ken shared his experience after attending Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s National conference in the spring. In the 2017 summer edition of our newsletter he wrote:

In May, I had the wonderful experience of attending the 2017 Boys & Girls Clubs of America National Conference in Dallas, along with my wife, Sharon. It was overwhelming to see so many BGCA volunteers, professionals and kids from all over the country. We were all there to learn, celebrate achievements and, yes, have some fun. If you ever get a chance to attend one of the national or regional conferences, be prepared to be inspired!

One of the highlights was the induction of alumni into the BGCA Alumni Hall of Fame. It was inspiring to hear how the Clubs transformed the lives of scientists, doctors, professional athletes and actors. They all had amazing stories of overcoming adversity to achieve amazing things in their professional and personal lives. Triple H, a professional wrestler, even theorized that because of the transformation through involvement in the Clubs, BGCA alumni will one day, not just solve problems with education or poverty, but will actually save the world from impending doom from meteors that are targeting Earth!

I learned how other local Boys & Girls Clubs’ boards operate, what are considered to be best practices and where to get resources for board members. I also learned about the power of a story and heard many moving stories. The Regional and National Youth of the Year representatives were impressive and motivating as they shared their stories. Overall, it reinforced that what we do matters and lives can be transformed in the process.
It was an amazing experience!

Help transform lives. Get Involved. Donate. Volunteer.

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Buffalo Wild Wings to Host Community Day to Raise Funds for Our Clubs

Boys & Girls Clubs of Manatee County and the Buffalo Wild Wings® located at Centre Point Commons, 4120 14th Street West in Bradenton, are inviting community members to visit the restaurant to join in the Community Day celebration on April 19 and help raise funds.  As a part of the Team Up for Kids® mission, the restaurant will donate 10 percent of total sales that day along with 100 percent of all guest donations made to help support sports programs at the Clubs.

Buffalo Wild Wings’ Team Up for Kids mission and partnership with Boys & Girls Club of America (BGCA) supports youth sports through ALL STARS grants for flag or tackle football, basketball, cheer, dance,  step, and soccer teams at Boys & Girls Clubs across the country. In additional to the more than $730,000 raised on Community Day 2016, Buffalo Wild Wings’ partnership enabled over 88,000 youth to participate on teams. The company also awarded grants to hundreds of Clubs across the country. In total, Buffalo Wild Wings, along with its Guests, donated more than $4.1 million to BGCA in 2016.

Boys & Girls Clubs believes that all children and teens deserve a great future. With Partners like Buffalo Wild Wings, Clubs and supporters are working to mobilize communities around the critical issues facing youth in their neighborhood.

Thanks to Buffalo Wild Wings, the ALL STARS program motivates kids to lead a healthy lifestyle through team sports while building good sportsmanship and self-esteem for Club kids.

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