Boys and Girls Club Santa Monica mailer

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1220 Lincoln Blvd.

Santa Monica, CA 90401

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Helping to Reduce Summer Learning Loss

earning loss often occurs when students are not actively engaged in learning activities during the summer months. Schools have reported that these students fall behind in the skills and knowledge they acquired the previous year, and as a result, teachers

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must spend the first months re-teaching old material to get their students up to speed. Moreover, Child Trends reports reveal that summer learning loss among low-income children who are not able to participate in costly, high impact summer programs contributes to

widening the achievement gap between low-income students and those students with access to greater resources. Most students lose about two months of grade level equivalency in mathematical computation skills over the summer months. However, low-income students lose more than two months in reading achievement as well as math skills, despite the fact that their middle-class peers make slight gains. As a result, lowincome youth are less likely to graduate from high school or enter college.

Recent findings reveal that summer learning experiences may significantly enhance short-term reading and math outcomes. A meta-analysis of 93 summer school programs found that the programs were effective in raising mathematics and reading achievement, especially when they included individualized tutoring or instruction.

Child Trends corroborates this finding, demonstrating how participation in high-quality after-school or educational summer programs leads to improved academic engagement, achievement, and attainment, and to higher rates of seeking postsecondary

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310-361-8500

education. However, cost and availability are often barriers to enrolling low-income children, who tend to benefit from these programs the most.

In order to fill the service gap and meet the challenges that summer learning loss presents, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Monica operates a summer intervention program. The objective of our program is to engage Club members in academic enrichment activities and healthy habits in order to help them graduate from high school on time, attend college or trade school, find gainful employment and ultimately move out of poverty. Through the program, members will also have the opportunity to participate in field trips, community service, and leadership activities that provide new experiences that are stimulating and mentally challenging. During the summer, 55 volunteers through the AmeriCorps VISTA program will help implement our program, focusing on activities that build skills in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields.

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Youth of the Year 2012 Meet Gretchen Galanis

Photo courtesy K+P Media

Gretchen Galanis receives her Youth of the Year award with Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Monica Board Chairman Bill Dawson and Stan Choo of the Kiwanis Club.

he Youth of the Year (YOY) program was established by the Boys & Girls Clubs of America in 1947 as a way of recognizing older Club members for outstanding leadership, service, character development, and academic and personal achievements.

Through YOY, we promote service to family, community and the Club as well as encourage strong moral character, academic success, and goal-oriented activities.

Club members also learn how to present themselves and develop public speaking and interviewing skills through their participation in YOY. The program is a year-round initiative and is based on a mentoring model that fosters personal growth and development.

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Monica’s 2012 Youth of the Year program culminated with our 45th Annual Youth of the Year Awards Banquet on Jan. 26, 2013. The awards banquet and celebration provided us with the opportunity to recognize the achievements of our Club members, particularly our top four members who competed for the 2012 Youth of the

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Year title for the entire organization.

These four members were chosen as finalists for their exceptional service to the community, academic achievements, and participation in Club programs and activities. Prior to the banquet, they underwent a rigorous judging process which included writing essays about their life and experiences at the Club, writing and delivering speeches in front of a panel of 17 community members who served as our judges for the program, and answering questions in one-on-one interviews with the judges.

Overall, we distributed 95 certificates of recognition and awards to Club members across six branch sites, including Youth of the Month certificates for each site, Youth of the Year awards for each site and department, and the Youth Service Award. Ultimately, the 2012 Youth of the Year title and scholarship went to 17-year old Gretchen Galanis. Ms. Galanis has overcome many personal challenges and become a leader at home, at school and in her community.

She has participated in Club programs

such as Leaders In Training and Keystone Club and joined a service trip to Liverpool, England, where she worked with Habitat for Humanity to build homes for low-income families.

She was accepted into the University of California Los Angeles and plans to

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join the ROTC program. Her goals include becoming a commissioned officer in the Navy and opening a Boys & Girls Club on a military base in order to help young people like herself, who grow up in military families.

Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Monica members traveled to Liverpool, England to volunteer with Habitat for Humanity.

310-361-8500

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Support the Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Monica

Why is our work important? Today, more than ever, our young people need our help. This generation will be the FIRST in modern history to be worse off than their parents. Opportunities have dwindled and as youth transition into adulthood, they are faced with immense challenges and economic hardships. For many young people, the hope of living the “American Dream” is disappearing. And at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Monica, every day, you are helping to restore hope and dreams in our members!

About 80% of our Club members are from hardworking families that earn low-income wages. Many of our members shoulder the burdens of their families, while also struggling with the challenges of growing up. These kids strive to achieve their goals, but often their dreams are stifled by disappointment and despair. That is why we offer a positive place for them to learn, be productive, make new friends, and enjoy just being a kid.

We are pleased to report that we are achieving success. In 2012, 100% of our teens graduated from high school and have continued to post-secondary education. Club members attending on a regular basis has risen almost 50 percent. We are serving an average of 950 kids daily — that is 4,750 enriching fun experiences at one of our Clubs every week, or 247,000 every year! In addition, community relationships continue to grow, to the extent that we opened three new sites this past year, with more to Proudly Sponsored by Kate Bransfield

come in 2013. To learn more, please visit our website at smbgc.org, join us on Facebook, or even come by for a tour and visit. Contact Janis Morse to make arrangements (310) 361-8523; janis@smbgc.org • $20 will sponsor 1 Club member for 1 week • $83 monthly will sponsor 1 Club member for one year • $250 monthly will sponsor 3 Club members for one year

SEPT. 21: Lions Club Pancake Breakfast at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Monica Main Branch NOV. 1: 38th Annual Auction & Dinner at Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows, Santa Monica

• $500 will sponsor 1 Club member for 1/2 year • $1,000 will sponsor 1 Club member for a full year of unlimited programs & services • $5,000 will sponsor 1 Club member for 5 years of the most critical periods of growth in their life

NOV. 11: Family Assistance Program begins and continues through December 2013

• $12,000 will sponsor a Club member for their entire life at the Club (age 6-18, 12 years)

Convenient Ways to Support: Mail your contribution to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Monica, 1220 Lincoln Blvd., Santa Monica, CA 90401 or contribute securely online at www.smbgc.org.

Calendar: Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Monica Summer Programs: JUNE 10 TO AUG. 21 Benefit Events: JULY 20: Green Concert at the Roxy Theatre

1220 Lincoln Blvd.

Santa Monica, CA 90401

310-361-8500 www.smbgc.org