From the Desk of David Solo

President and CEO

Winter 2010 - Click here to view this release as a PDF.

INTRODUCTION

I hope the New Year has gotten off to a wonderful start for you. Here at Boys & Girls Clubs of Marin and Southern Sonoma Counties our After-School Programs are very active with more youth enrolled than ever before. We are grateful to you, our most important stakeholders, for the support that makes these programs possible for thousands of youth in Petaluma and San Rafael.

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR YOUTH OF THE YEAR!

Before we rang out 2009, we were privileged to announce Brayan Araiza as our Youth of the Year. The announcement took place at a ceremony at our Lucchesi Park Club in December with each of our ten Clubs presenting individual Club Youths of the Year and showcasing the talents of Club members. Proud parents, staff, volunteers, and other guests enjoyed performances of dance, martial arts, original rap music (Two Club "rap artists", Chris "Big C" and Toby are shown here), and "Swivel" a band made up of Davidson Club House members. The star moment, however, was when Brayan stepped forward to accept the award for Youth of the Year. A high-school senior, Brayan gave a speech that told of arriving in the U.S. with his family when he was only 8 years old, speaking not a word of English. He began a journey that included brushes with gang involvement, ups and downs academically and in home life; which ultimately lead to wrong choices. His parents enrolled him in our Corona Ranch Club which helped him to strengthen his relationships with his family, in school and with the friends he made at the Club. Today, Brayan is captain of his high school football team; he maintains a 3.8 GPA; and is college bound with plans for eventually going to law school. Brayan says, "In June of 2010 I will be the first person in my family to graduate from high school and that is an honor that I hold dear to my heart."
Brayan's parents beamed as their son was presented with the Youth of the Year Award that includes a $2,500 scholarship and the opportunity to participate as Boys & Girls Clubs regional Youth of the Year candidate. Each year, Boys & Girls Clubs of America selects a national winner who is recognized with additional scholarship support and a trip to the White House to meet the President. Brayan's parents were not the only ones beaming at the December award ceremony. Corona Ranch Club Program Director Olivia Bidaurreta shared, "Brayan opens his heart to the world so that he can give back, from helping younger youth with football techniques to wanting to mentor youth who face similar issues he faced." Congratulations again to Brayan!

ANNUAL CRUSTACEAN CELEBRATION!

Another sell out! The Crab Feed welcomed old friends and made some new ones. Big thanks to Dynacraft, BSC, Inc. and Ghilotti Bros., Inc., for hosting the event; to Bank of Marin, Clover Stornetta Farms and Club One for their sponsorships, to the U.S. Coast Guard and Lombardi’s for the fabulous food; to Mt. Tampalpais Mortuary for the crab shellers, and to all of our Red Rock & Hermit Crab sponsors! A fabulous 3 night getaway to New York City was the popular raffle item. Live auction items included a Mill Creek Ranch Estate Escape and a golf getaway via private jet for four to Martiscamp in Truckee Meadow. Reserve wines, signed memorabilia, artwork and getaways were hot items in the silent auction. The evening was topped off by dancing to Pure Energy Productions, who brought the crowd to its feet instantly. Of course none of this would have been possible without the leadership of Event Chair Jennifer Soper of our Board of Directors, her wonderful committee, and our Event Coordinator Cary Haris. Thank you ALL! To view or purchase pictures from the event, please visit www.henleyphoto.com - password "crab". To receive an invitation to next year's Crab Feed, please email charis@petalumabgc.org. To learn more about our future events, visit our website at www.petaluma-marinbgc.org

SPEAKING OF THE WEB SITE

I would love to know what you think of our new web site, www.petaluma-marinbgc.org. It's new! It's interactive! It's frequently updated! You can join us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter. You can purchase tickets and sponsorships for events, make contributions and sign up for pledges. And... you can email me what you think of our new web site at dsolo@petalumabgc.org

GET READY to GOLF "Fore the Kids"

I know it's hard to believe but we are already gearing up for the 20th Annual Hansel Auto Group Golf Challenge set for Friday, August 20th, at Rooster Run Golf Course in Petaluma. For information, please contact Cary Haris at 707-769-5322 ext.10; or email Cary at charis@petalumabgc.org

THANK YOU, GOOD FRIEND, AND CLUB ALUM

When our Cavanagh Clubhouse needed a new coat of paint, Bob Spurgeon, owner of Spurgeon Painting (www.spurgeonpainting.com), stepped up to help us. Bob is Club alum and now a business leader in Sonoma, Marin and Napa counties. We greatly appreciate Bob's help and share with you the following from him:

"I joined the Petaluma Boys Club when it opened in 1958, and have great memories of my days spent there, hanging out with friends and learning important life skills like bumper pool and shuffleboard. Now, 52 years later, my grandchildren are taking advantage of the sports programs. Yes, the Boys & Girls Club has become a tradition, always there for the community, generation after generation. Everyone knows how tough it is for nonprofit organizations, especially now, so we wanted to do what we could to help out. This is why Spurgeon Painting donated the labor and Peterson's Paints donated the materials to paint the Cavanagh Clubhouse last year. It's important that we as a community take pride in our facilities, and it was one way that we were able to help."

Thank You, Bob, for being such a good friend and positive role model for youth!

THERE'S STILL TIME!

First, I want to say THANK YOU to those of you who responded so generously to our recent direct mail and email appeals. We are grateful for your support! Second, I want to be sure that you know that if you have not had a chance to make a contribution, we still need your support and ask you to consider sending a gift by postal mail or by using the donation button on our web site. It's been a tough year financially for our organization and, though, we have really tightened our belts, we need to be able to continue providing quality services to all the kids and families who turn to us. Your donation, of any size, will make a difference.

SUMMERTIME!

I know, I know - it seems too early to think about Summer Programs but here at BGCMSSC we are already in planning stages for our Summer Program. We have some very special and new programs to offer this year. Keep watch on our web site for information.

QUESTIONS I GET ASKED

How many Clubs do you have and where are they?

We have 10 Clubs - nine of them are located throughout the City of Petaluma and one is located in San Rafael at the Davidson Middle School Annex. You can find a listing of all our Clubs on our website - www.petaluma-marinbgc.org

Do you have to join a Club in order to participate in Summer Programs?

Yes, and it only costs $10 a year to be a Club member. There is a fee for Summer Programs and, those, too, will be posted on our web site.

FROM ME TO YOU

One of the things I love most about our events, like the Crab Feed, is the opportunity to connect with old friends and new. Throughout the year, there will be other opportunities for us to get together but I always want you to feel welcome at our Clubs. If you are interested in visiting any of the 10 Clubs, let me know and I will be happy to arrange it. And - Thank You - for being an important part of the BGCMSSC family!

David Solo