SEPTEMBER 23-26 Stein Mart Fundraiser NOVEMBER 25 Turkey

The Boys & Girls Clubs of
the Midlands has received a
$7,500 donation from Trane.
These funds will be used to
sponsor children in BGCM’s
after
school
program,
the Be Great Academy.
Donations made by other
like-minded organizations,
like Trane, allow more
families to receive tuition
scholarships that are based
on the family’s needs.
These scholarship donations assist BGCM in its
mission to inspire and enable
all children, especially those
that need us most, to become
responsible, caring adults.
Welcome to Be Great Academy 2010! Our staff is energized and prepared to make this
our best year yet. 2010-2011
has already made BGCM history, as it is the first year that
all 31 locations will follow the
Be Great Academy curriculum.
The BGA curriculum provides
members with more than 25 pro-
grams that have been proven on a
national level to address the most
pressing issues of today’s youth.
Our goal is to provide every child quality, affordable after school programs.
Check out our website
at
BEGREATacademy.com
for
detailed
program
descriptions and program calendars.
“I would like to extend my greatest thanks and appreciation to
the entire staff at the Boys &
Girls Clubs of the Midlands.
You made this summer very
memorable for my daughter. I
wish you were at Crossroads
Middle School. but hopefully
she can come back next summer
once again. Thanks!
W. Mcgruder
BGCM Career Launch Director, Troy
Thames, was looking for a way to reward
both Junior Staffers and ZooTeens for their
hard work over the summer.
He didn’t have to look far.
Time Warner Cable, a prominent sponsor
of BGCM, treated Thames and his team to a
VIP appearance at the last day of the Carolina Panther training camp.
On August 17, 15 Junior Staff and 3 Zoo
Teen volunteers traveled to Wofford College
to watch the Panthers prepare for the season.
After watching the team practice, the
BGCM crew was invited out onto the field to
meet the Panthers team and get autographs.
Following the meet and greet session, the
BGCM crew also attended a VIP luncheon,
where they listened to Keynote Speaker,
Danny Morrison, Carolina Panthers team
president.
“It was a GREAT day,” Thames said. “Our
team has really done an incredible job over
the summer and this was an excellent way to
reward them and be able to show them how
much we appreciate them.”
Junior Staff is a paid internship that assists
club members, ages 12-18, in exploring a
career in youth or human services. Program
participants learn applicable skills such as
responsibilities in work situations, how to
conduct oneself at work and the importance
of a proper work ethic that will prepare them
to be successful professionals.
The ZooTeen program, a partnership between Riverbanks Zoo and BGCM, connects
area teenagers to nature and builds successful, caring members of the community.
Over two years, the program will provide opportunities for ZooTeens to grow
into young adults, ready to inspire positive
changes.
“We were so thrilled to have our BGCM
kids attend the training camp,” South Carolina Time Warner Cable Public Affairs Representative, Diane Smith, said. “Watching the
kids enjoy themselves was awesome. They
were all very well-behaved and represented
the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Midlands very
well.”
“I would also like to thank the
Boys & Girls Club of the Midlands (Glenforest) for making
my daughter and my summer so
wonderful! The staff at Glenforest were very professional and
on top of their game. I am glad
to say that they do offer the boys
and girls aftercare services at
Leaphart Elementary, which by
the way is another wonderful
staff!!! Look forward to seeing
you guys again!!! L. Pelzer
Would you like to share? Email
[email protected] or
visit us on Facebook!
Left:
Saxe Gotha Jr. Staffer, Julian Crawford gets
a picture with Gamecock alum and Carolina
Panther, Eric Norwood.
Right:
Crawford and his family meet with Colonial
Life’s Tom Watjen and Randy Horn. Colonial
Life sent Crawford to Virginia Military Institutes’s College Orientation Workshop. COW is
an annual privately funded summer residential
program designed to encourage disadvantaged
minority youths to pursue higher education.
SAVE THE DATE:
SEPTEMBER 23-26
NOVEMBER 25
DECEMBER 7
Stein Mart Fundraiser
Turkey Day Race / Family Fun Run
Chick-Fil-A Spirit Night Fundraiser
500 Gracern Rd
Columbia, SC 29210
(803) 231-3300
www.BGCmidlands.org
September 2010 Edition
Wendy Dora flashes her $1,000
smile with the Be Great Bee
after her lucky duck is the
first to cross the finish line!
Boys & Girls Clubs of the Midlands
Right: The
front loader,
donated by
Blanchard Machinery, waits
for last-minute
duck registrations before
dumping the
ducks.
Below: BGCM
staff members
run the first 5
ducks to the
sound system
to announce the
Duck Derby
winners!
BGCM Killian Director, Veronica Watkins, enjoys an
ice cream treat from Marble Slab to beat the heat!
The BGCM Be Great Bee
anxiously waits by the finish line to see which lucky
ducks will cross the finish line
to win the big cash prizes.
BGCM Career Launch Director, Troy Thames, gives the
kids a helping hand by acting
as an anchor in Tug-of-War.
Both BI-LO and BGCM employees volunteered to be
dunked by BGCM kids with
GREAT aim.
The dunking
booth made quite a splash!
The Back to School Splash
brought fun games and prizes for
those that came out. A BGCM
child tries her luck at BI-LO’s
version of the Plinko game!
http://www.bgcmidlands.org
On August 1, one of the hottest days
of the year, more than 1,000 BGCM
supporters came to Finlay Park to get
their ducks in a row for the upcoming school year at the BGCM Back
to School Splash.
The Back to School Splash was
filled with food, fun and family
games.
Hundreds of people gathered
around the Finlay Park fountain in
hopes that their duck would be the
lucky duck that crossed the finish
line first to win $1,000.
Wendy Dora, the owner of the firstplace lucky duck, took home $1,000.
After the race, Dora said that her
family planned to take a vacation to
Charleston with the extra money.
Behind the scenes, the BGCM
Junior Staff worked hard to make
sure the event went smoothly and the
children had a great time.
BI-LO and First Citizens were the
presenting corporate sponsors for the
event. BGCM would like to send a
big thanks to BI-LO staff and volunteers for helping even more this year
than ever before! BI-LO’s in-store
duck selling and promotions, grill
station, donated food and beverages
and increased partner support helped
make the Back to School Splash a
success!
BGCM Plays Ball With the
A new partnership with
the Columbia Blowfish
brought many BGCM
members to the ball field.
On July 16, BGCM
members and families
were treated to a night
of fun as they rooted for their
home team against the Fayeteville
Swamp Dogs at Capital City Stadium.
“The Columbia Blowfish are honored to work with Boys & Girls Club
of the Midlands,” Blowfish Sales
Manager, Brian Henry, said. “We
are tremendously excited to recognize the accomplishments of the Boys
& Girls Club at a Blowfish game.”
In addition to 200 free tickets to the
game, the Blowfish also gave 2 BGCM
members the chance to meet the
team, as well as throw the first pitch.
Round Top members, Logan and
Aidan Shay, won the honors of pitching the first pitch through the BGCM
Be Great Jersey Design Contest.
The Blowfish went on to defeat the Fayetteville Swamp Dogs and BGCM Members and Families had a GREAT time!
BGCM members were invited back to the ball field on
July 31 to play catch on the
field with the Blowfish Players and given free admission
for the season closer against
the
Wilmington
Sharks.
To help drum up excitement,
Henry brought Blowie to the Great Adventure Summer Camp at Glenforest
for an hour of fun, music and pictures.
Ben Arnold Club member, Ronnie McKenzie, signaled the beginning of the game by announcing,
“Let’s Play Ball” at the home plate.
McKenzie also had the opportunity
to meet the thrower of the first pitch,
Columbia Mayor, Steve Benjamin.
BGCM member, Bryson Nesmith,
made BGCM proud by beating Blowie
the mascot in a race around the bases.
“I truly enjoyed our partnership this
season,” Henry said. “I’m looking
forward to expanding it next season.
Visit the BGCM Facebook page for
video footage of the first pitches, as
well as the race around the bases.
BGCM has been chosen as the recipient of Stein Mart’s Give & Save Charity
Days shopping event. BGCM friends and family have the opportunity to purchase a $5 ticket from any BGCM club. Tickets can then be taken to the Lexington Stein Mart location from September 23-26 and redeemed for a $5 off coupon,
as well as 15 percent off the total purchase. The initial $5 ticket investment will
be donated to BGCM for scholarships. BGCM has pledged to sell 500 tickets, so
please spread the news to your friends, family and coworkers!
BGCM Round Top members,
Logan and Aidan Shay, show
off their winning jersey design
before throwing the first pitch.
Practice makes perfect! Round
Top member Logan Shay
warms up before the first pitch.
BGCM member, Daniel Meetze,
takes a quick picture with a
Blowfish teammate after helping
him warm up before the big game
against Fayetteville. We won!
BGCM Club member, Ronnie
McKenzie, sits on deck with Columbia Blowfish players before
the big game against Wilmington.
Blowie the Blowfish makes a
pit stop before the game against
Wilmington at the Glenforest
Great Adventure Summer Camp.
BGCM employees and volunteers, Marlene Boykin, Lindsey Bedenbaugh, adn Quentin Sims chat as they wait for
the Blowfish game to begin.