3 minute read
BGC Brief - Fall 2023
The sound of loud excited voices coming from the game room; a line of children slowly walking down the hall in step on their way to the technology center; the sound of music with voices singing harmonies and melodies coming from our performing arts room; and freshly painted artwork filling our walls with inspiration. This is a snapshot of one moment in time during our summer day camp hosted at our Jack & Monica Armstrong Youth Center.
Every year when school is out…the Club is in session. In previous years, we were thrilled to offer up to five summer day camp locations with exciting camp experiences for 11 hours per day. This year, thanks to the support of our community, our school district partners, and our trained and enthusiastic youth development team, we hit the ground running with 14 separate summer day camps all over Kern County—as far away as Frazier Park, Kernville, and Tehachapi.
Thanks to an internal social media platform, our team was able to share daily triumphs, teachable instances, and Boys & Girls Club mission moments that made us all feel as if we’d been there! And because we are not bound by the walls of our facilities or limited by imagination, our children had some of the most amazing experiences fostering new skills, knowledge, confidence, empathy, and friendship.
• Partnering with our friends at the SPCA, our children became members of the Kids & Critter Day Camp. Daily, children were transported physically and emotionally to an environment focused on caring for shelter animals, developing their animal-sitting skills, pet obedience training, and first aid/animal safety.
• Over 100 children hit the stage at Stars Theatre for a fully licensed production of SpongeBob the Musical with sold-out performances for family, friends, and community members.
• Masterpieces were created inspired by the art of Pablo Picasso; craft project presents went home daily, and thousands of friendship bracelets were created and exchanged cementing new best friends forever.
• BGCKC Teen Leaders were sent to a National Keystone Leadership Conference in Dallas, Texas to learn about leadership, community investment, and to network with other teens from across the nation.
• Elephant toothpaste (a science experiment,) computer coding, robot challenges, and roller coaster design/ building filled the days in our tech centers and classrooms.
• Thousands of nutritious and delicious meals were provided for our hungry campers and children suffering from food insecurities.
• We trained over 150 youth in workforce readiness skills, resume writing, interviewing, and developing a strong work ethic. We gainfully employed 25 of these young people and placed them in a variety of work environments with employers/mentors dedicated to supporting their first employment experience.
• With a special focus on serving children who call local shelters “home,” we did our best to be the Boys & Girls Clubs of Kern County that our kids deserve.
Our wish is that all of our children will reflect on the summer of 2023 as one of the best times in their lives. And we also hope that all of our supporters know the integral part they play in making programs like our Summer Day Camp happen.
