2021 Mid-Year Club Champions Newsletter

CLUB CHAMPIONS

Quarterly Report Vol. 2 & 3, 2021

KEEPING YOU UP TO DATE! SUMMER 2021!

Extraco PlayDay

School Term Recap

Community Update

Back to School!

True Champions As a Club Champion, you represent a COMMITMENT to the youth of the Greater Temple Community. The steadfast commitment of YOU, the CLUB CHAMPION is obvious in the fact that for the second year in a row, the contributions made by our CLUB CHAMPIONS has surpassed the estimated annual contribution. Our CLUB CHAMPIONS are always on time and for the right cause within the youth club. Whether it is supporting fine arts, procuring books for the library, golfing to contribute 100% of your funds to the club, sponsoring for the CMB Jr. Golf Classic or wining and dining on New Year’s Eve to drum up funds, you never let the youth of our community go without. It is this type of philanthropy that allows our programs to remain affordable and of the utmost quality for our youth. The Board of Directors of Ralph Wilson Youth Club are appreciative of your efforts and faith in the youth club.

SUMMER 2021!

Ralph Wilson Youth Club had a successful Summer 2021 program following a program in 2020 that had to endure through unchartered waters. The youth of our community returned in full force to enjoy the many amenities that are offered at the youth club. Summer 2021 featured a return to having fun for our youth.

Registration was open to the entire community and field trips were restored to the program. Over 700 area youth were able to enjoy ‘childlike’ experiences at the youth club. These experiences included over 30 field trips to various establishments in and around the Greater Temple community. These trips took over 2,000 youth to places such as McLane Stadium, Inner Space Caverns, Tap Tap Art School, Extreme Jump, and Wheels to name a few.

Students were able to enjoy an arts and crafts program that featured over 40 projects for the summer. Youth learned to make stuffed animals, create new crafts, paint, draw, and utilize various mediums of art. As a result of the program, many youths were either introduced to the arts or had the opportunity to further grow their interest in arts.

The summer program also included a senior science program. Senior science targeted the older members of the youth club to stimulate their interests in various science initiatives. Senior science projects included things such as learning the human body, the water cycle, Newton’s Law and density among other things.

Projects included robotic hands, bouncing bubbles, lava lamps, walking water, water balloon math problems, melting ice, and the construction of a volcano.

A t t e n d a n c e

C O M P A R I S O N

Summer Sizzles

After enduring through a nontraditional 2020-2021 school year in terms of attendance, the youth club experienced an explosion in attendance during Summer 2021. Our kids ascended on the youth club in waves as they sought a return to the youth club they have grown accustomed to experiencing. Nearly 600 youth signed up for the first month of summer, and the month of July saw nearly 700 kids attend the youth club. August, traditionally the slowest month of the summer, witnessed just shy of 400 kids attend the youth club.

Kids experienced everything from dodgeball, kickball, gaga ball, sharks and minnows, dance competitions, ping pong tournaments, pop a shot challenge, and four-square tournaments to name a few of the onsite activities. Our members made new friends and re-established relationships that had been stalled during the past twelve months.

Tenured staff members assisted in helping mold and groom new staff members. Staff members embraced challenges associated with picking up the additional work created by a reduction in full time employees to ensure that our kids didn’t miss an experience this summer. As a result of the overall efforts of the entire team of staff members, the youth club was able to return to pre 2020 service levels without having to hire the previous service levels. This was important in allowing the youth club to complete a full recovery from the downturn associated with the pandemic.

Extraco Play Day Extraco Banks continues to be a strong supporter of Ralph Wilson Youth Club. Thanks to Extraco Banks, Extraco PlayDay has become an annual event at the youth club. Extraco PlayDay is a day filled with activities for the youth. It serves as an end of summer celebration for the youth. The event features free food for all the kids and numerous outdoor activities for the kids. This year’s event had a water theme. Several water slides and obstacle courses were set up to allow the kids to romp and stomp the entire day. A rock-climbing wall was also present to allow the youth to see who could climb the ‘mountain’ the fastest. Youth also had the opportunity to engage in an old fashion water balloon war.

The beauty of the event is that it is free and allows for all the club members that can not afford the costs associated with field trips to be able to have a day of extra fun at the youth club. This year’s event also featured numerous prizes being awarded to kids at the conclusion of the event. The two main prizes were bikes being won by a boy and a girl. The event was a huge success and is made possible by the title sponsor Extraco Banks.

Baylor's McLane Stadium

ps i r T d Fiel This summer's field trips took RWYC kids

Camp Triumph

all over the map!

From Waco to

Slice of Heaven Farm

Georgetown, Copperas Cove to Holland, and everywhere in between!

Inner Space Caverns

2020-21 School Term Recap Ralph Wilson Youth Club wrapped up the 2020-2021 Academic School Year on a positive note. After a slow start to youth participation in the after-school program, the youth club experienced a steady increase in the number of youths that participated in the program. At the conclusion of the 2020-2021 Academic Year, the youth club saw an average monthly registration total of 194.

Although this represented a 35% decrease in what was projected, the youth club was proud of the fact that the numbers gradually increased with each month.

Monthly Registrations

RWYC Proud to Host Service Organizations Ralph Wilson Youth Club is proud to serve as the host for Temple Rotary Club and Altrusa for the

upcoming academic year. The ability to be able to provide a meeting space to two local organizations that dedicate their time and energy to serving our community and giving back to so many worthy causes is an honor. At the core of what these two entities represent, is what makes Ralph Wilson Youth Club what it is today. Ralph Wilson Youth Club is honored to be selected by Temple Rotary Club and Altrusa as their home.

Ralph Wilson Youth Club renewed a partnership with UMHB's Occupational Therapy program to have four graduate students in the program provide 37 hours of graduate research at the youth club. Per the outlined program by the students, the program is designed to allow for the observation of youth in an environment where Occupational Therapy is not traditionally practiced. The partnership is focused on observing youth between the ages of 9-12. The work targeted this age group to emphasize cooperative play and the importance of this skill set. The UMHB group defined the following goals: *Address behavior in socially acceptable manners when collaborating with peers of the opposite gender *Address social skills between peers of the opposite gender *Initiate cooperative play through group activities involving the following of rules, engaging in appropriate conversation with peers, working with others, and becoming comfortable recognizing non verbal cues *Role competence in cooperative group setting The partnership with UMHB's Occupational Therapy program helps students become productive members in their environments by obtaining specific skills that are basic but not often available to them.

TISD Makes Feeding a Priority Temple ISD continues to be a gracious partner through their willingness to partner with Ralph Wilson Youth Club to offer the Summer Nutrition program at the youth club.

TISD’s commitment to offer the program at the youth club enables all participants in the summer program to have access to free breakfast and lunch Monday through Friday.

As a result, over 16,000 meals where served by TISD School Nutrition at Ralph Wilson Youth Club.

TISD + RWYC = IMPACTFUL INITIATIVES!

Ralph Wilson Youth Club has made significant strides in technology and automation. In the previous 12 months, the youth club has transitioned to a 100% online system for registrations for the after school and summer program, athletics, concessions, and field trips. These changes have resulted in increased customer service levels for parents. The changes have also increased the financial integrity of the organization. The youth club is committed to the utmost in integrity as it relates to ensuring our donor dollars are maximized. Increased accountability and customer service have been attained through these initiatives.

CLUB CHAMPIONS TO DATE United Way Central Texas, Dr. Ralph Wilson, Jr. Wildflower Charity Golf Classic, Craig M. Bukosky Junior Golf Open, and New Year’s Eve Gala are some of the key sources of funding for the youth club.

However, the Club Champions program allows additional supporters of the youth club to make contributions to support our community’s youth. 47% of the club’s funding comes via donations. The ability to grow our donor base is paramount to ensure the youth club can continue to provide high quality programming at an affordable rate. As the recipient of this newsletter, you have shown your commitment to Ralph Wilson Youth Club. We are asking that you share this newsletter and all the good news of Ralph Wilson Youth Club with your friends via email, social media, and any other method you have at your disposal. Sustainability of the youth club is directly tied to growing our donor base and continuing to meet the ever-changing needs of our community. By sharing the good news, you increase the chances that we will continue to grow our support and grow the quality of our programs. At Ralph Wilson Youth Club we remain committed to ‘Keep Charging!’

United Way Community Grant

Ralph Wilson Youth Club was the recipient of a grant from the United Way of Central Texas. The ongoing partnership with the United Way of Central Texas continues to benefit the youth of our community. The ability of the youth club to provide affordable programming to our community is directly tied to community partnerships that leverage philanthropy from throughout the community.

Review shows steady progress on RWYC Strategic Plan The Board of Directors of Ralph Wilson Youth Club adopted a strategic plan for the youth club in late 2020. The plan targeted 5 areas for short, medium, and long-range goals. These areas include finance, programming, development, personnel, and operations. The plan in its entirety established 86 goals. To date the club has completed 26 goals (30%), commenced an additional 17 goals (20%), and still have 43 goals (50%) to complete.

Significant strides were made in the areas of finance. This could not have come at a more opportune time with all the economic challenges the club faced in 2020. A more detailed annual operating budget and monthly financial report have increased efficiencies in the expenditure and annual allocation of funds.

Several changes have been enacted at the club in the areas of personnel, operations, and programs due to the pandemic. These are areas outlined in the strategic plan that the organization will look to make significant strides in the coming months and years.

Back to School Days

Fresh off a summer that facilitated a fiscal recovery for the youth club, the 2021-2022 After School program is experiencing a similar recovery. Nearly 300 youth from the communities of Temple, Belton and Academy are participating in the after school program. Although this is still short of nearly 400 that participated prior to the onset of the pandemic, it represents a significant increase over the highest participation that occurred at any juncture during the 2020-2021 program.

The after school program is robust and allows youth to participate in an assortment of programs.

Fine arts programs are offered to stimulate interests in the many aspects of drawing, coloring, molding and sewing. Academics remain at the forefront via the study hall that is designed to support the completion of homework by youth. In addition, the study hall promotes grade specific exercises to allow youth to work in subject areas of their choice that are not necessarily tied to homework. The computer lab allows club members to access the respective websites of their school district to navigate resources to aid in learning.