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Boys & Girls Club of Burlington in the News
Boys & Girls Club of Burlington Announces 2008 Youth of the Year Burlington, VT - The Boys & Girls Club of Burlington is proud to announce that sixteen year old Tanasia McGee has been chosen this year’s Youth of the Year for demonstrating growth and accomplishment in the areas of Home and Family, Spiritual Values, Community, School, Service to Club, Life Goals, and Obstacles Overcome. After an extensive judging process including essays, speeches and interviews, judges T.J. Donovan, Chittenden County State’s Attorney; Frank Petrosino of Paul Frank + Collins; and Debbie Drewniak of GE Healthcare chose Tanasia to represent the Club. Tanasia joined the Boys & Girls Club of Burlington in 2003 and has been involved in several programs including basketball, digital arts, the Club’s leadership group Keystone Club, and the new college readiness program KnowHow2GO. Tanasia is also active at school and is a key player on their women’s basketball team. When not playing on her team, she is an integral participant in Club activities. She spent every Saturday last fall organizing the Club’s flag football program, helping to recruit players and advertise, as well as participating on the field, and she has also already volunteered to help with the Club’s first AAU team that will practice over the summer. She is a dedicated, responsible and caring individual, spending much of her free time caring for her young brother, and has shown tremendous courage and determination in all of her actions. Tanasia competed for top state honors at the Vermont State Youth of the Year contest on April 16th at the Capitol Plaza in Montpelier, supported in part by title sponsors VELCO and Comcast. Candidates from Vermont’s six Clubs spent the day in Montpelier where they were recognized on the House floor, addressed by Gov. Douglas and then went on to be interviewed by judges Susan Allen, Editor, Times Argus; Dawn Bugbee of Green Mountain Power; Kerrick Johnson, VP of Govt. Affairs and Public Relations at VELCO; Jeb Spaulding, Vermont State Treasurer; and Jeff Wolf, CEO of Gro Solar. The evening culminated with dinner at the Capitol Plaza and Monique Simpson of the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Vergennes was named Vermont’s Youth of the Year.
Boys & Girls Club of Burlington Announces Exciting Leadership Changes Burlington, VT – The Boys & Girls Club of Burlington is pleased to announce a number of leadership changes in the organization. As the Club has expanded its services, staff members have risen to the challenge to serve 2,300 youth a year in four locations. This past spring, the Club welcomed Mary Alice McKenzie as Executive Director. Mary Alice has been a leader in Vermont’s business, not-for-profit, and higher education communities, including positions as CEO and President of McKenzie of Vermont, as General Counsel for the Vermont State Colleges, and as an attorney with Paul, Frank + Collins. Mary Alice joined the Club in May of 2007 and the staff and the Board of Directors are extremely happy to have her aboard. Shannon Dixon, with the Club since November 2002, has been promoted to Director of the Winooski Unit, School Sites, and Summer Programs. Shannon previously supervised school age programs at the 62 Oak Street site. She will now manage the Winooski Boys & Girls Club programs in the new Winooski Community Center. Dixon continues work with Club programs in the H.O. Wheeler Community School for grades K-5, and summer programs that serve over 130 youth in grades K-8. She holds a B.A. from Eckerd College, and has previously worked with YMCAs in Framingham and Hopkinton, Massachusetts. Jeff Thompson, a Club employee since 1992 and formerly the Director of Teen Programs, has been promoted to Director of the 62 Oak Street Club Site. Jeff now oversees all programming at the Club’s renovated facility in the Old North End. Jeff also serves as the Facilities Manager of the Oak Street Club. Before joining the Boys & Girls Club of Burlington, Jeff worked with Burlington Parks & Recreation, and Burlington and Essex Schools. Laura Hale, who has served as the Club’s Development Associate, has taken on the additional role of Grants Specialist. Laura is pleased to be part of the Development team, led by Development Director Sara Wool, that has doubled annual giving in the last two years. Laura looks forward to expanding the Club’s grant writing and management. Laura holds a B.A. from UMass Amherst and worked with IBM and the United Way as an AmeriCorps*VISTA and as the Online Sales Manager for the Crow Bookshop before joining the Boys & Girls Club of Burlington in December 2005. The Club also welcomes Tanya Benosky as Controller. Tanya holds an M.B.A from Simmons College and is a Certified Public Accountant. She has worked with Harvard University and McSoley, McCoy & Company and brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the Club’s finance department. The Boys & Girls Club of Burlington also has the pleasure of welcoming Roger J. Preis of RPE Career Dynamics as President of the Board of Directors. Roger served on the Board of the Boys & Girls Club of Stamford, CT before moving to Vermont and has served on the Burlington Board for over three years. With his over 25 year commitment to the Boys & Girls Club movement, Roger is an invaluable resource to the Board and Club. The Board of Directors of the Boys & Girls Club of Burlington is: Roger Preis,, President of the Board, RPE Career Dynamics; Jeffrey Nolan, Vice President, Dinse Knapp & McAndrew; Timothy Keefe, Treasurer, Vermont Gas; Rebecca Beers, Secretary, KeyBank; Andrew Allen, Vermont Design Works; Ken Ballard, Spherion; Starr Barnum V, NL Financial Alliance of Northern New England; Robert Cain, Paul, Frank & Collins; Beth Peters Collins, Green Mountain Power; Alex Graham, Live Learning Program; Geoff Hand, Shems, Dunkiel, Kassel & Saunders; Sean Hart, Pepperidge Farms; Nancy Jenkins, Prudential Realty Mart; J. Robert Jones, IBM; Sandra McAllister, CIGNA HealthCare; Dr. Mitch Norotsky, Fletcher Allen Health Care; David Provost, Champlain College; Tuck Rainwater, Sirotkin & Necrason; Samuel Ravit, Hackett Valine & MacDonald; Buddy Singh, Spruce Mortgage; Eva Sturm-Kehoe, Community Volunteer; Brian Waxler, Pomerleau Real Estate; Susan Wertheimer, UVM; Risé Wilson, Middlebury College; and Michael Wool, Langrock Sperry & Wool.
Boys & Girls Club of Burlington Announces Grant Awards Burlington, VT– The Boys & Girls Club of Burlington is pleased to announce grant awards from the Vermont Department of Labor, Chittenden Bank, TD Banknorth and the Richard E. and Deborah L. Tarrant Foundation. These grants will fund after school programs for over 2,300 youth in grades K-12 each year with a special emphasis on Career and College Readiness programming. The Vermont Department of Labor has chosen the Club as one of the recipients of the very competitive Career Exploration Grants in support of the new Teen Employment Center (TEC). The TEC will initially run out of the Living Room, our teen center in the University Mall, and will guide groups of middle school and high school Club members through a series of sessions designed to increase their awareness of college and career options, and give them the skills necessary to find and retain employment in Vermont. Chittenden Bank has also lent their support to the TEC and will fund stipends for high school participants who complete the program. TD Banknorth will support another program of the Club’s Career Readiness and Life Skills initiative: KnowHow2GO. KnowHow2GO, the recent recipient of the New England Board of Higher Education’s Robert J. McKenna program achievement award, introduces middle school and high school youth to the college process and possible career choices in order to encourage and prepare them to pursue higher education options. Through a series of 8 week sessions, college and business visits, and financial aid workshops, KnowHow2GO and TD Banknorth plan to help 50 Club members achieve their goals. The Richard E. and Deborah L. Tarrant Foundation has generously granted the Club support for after school and summer programming. This funding will help the Club provide activities in the core areas of Arts & Technology, Career Readiness & Life Skills, and Health & Athletics to our members at our sites in Burlington, South Burlington and Winooski, including our main clubhouse at 62 Oak Street and at the H.O Wheeler Community School in Burlington, at the Living Room at the University Mall in South Burlington, and at the Winooski Community Center.
Governor Douglas to Announce Boys and Girls Club of Burlington’s Program Achievement Award from the New England Board of Higher Education Burlington, VT – On Tuesday, November 13th, 2007 at 7:30 p.m., Governor Douglas will be attending the Boys and Girls Club of Burlington’s 1st Annual College Fair at the 62 Oak Street Clubhouse. Representatives from over 15 local Colleges, Universities and Post-Secondary programs will be in attendance to reach out to families and Club members. Governor Douglas will be announcing the Clubs recognition for the 2008 New England Board of Higher Education’s Robert J. McKenna Award for Program Achievement. This award is in honor of the Club’s KnowHow2Go College Readiness Program, launched last year for middle and high school students. The mission of the program is to introduce youth served to post-secondary options through exploratory and curriculum based programming. The program has gained regional and national attention for providing resources to youth who need them most in this community. NEBHE’s 2008 New England Higher Education Excellence Award The Robert J. McKenna Award for Program Achievement – The Boys and Girls Club of Burlington for the KnowHow2Go Program About the New England Higher Education Excellence Awards: The New England Board of Higher Education (NEBHE) launched the New England Higher Education Excellence Awards in 2003 to recognize individuals and institutions that have made substantive contributions to improving higher education opportunities for New England students. NEBHE’s mission is to promote greater educational opportunity for residents of New England at the region’s 270 public and independent colleges and universities. Individuals and organizations nominated during the selection process that begins in the fall exemplify NEBHE’s mission through their accomplishments. Four regional Excellence Awards are presented: The Eleanor M. McMahon Award for Lifetime Achievement, named for the late Rhode Island higher education commissioner, scholar and educator; The David C. Knapp Award for Trusteeship, named for the former University of Massachusetts president; The Gov. Walter R. Peterson Award for Leadership, named for the former New Hampshire governor and college president; and The Robert J. McKenna Award for Program Excellence, named for the former Rhode Island state senator and Newport mayor. In addition, State Merit Awards are presented to individuals or organizations for higher education excellence within each of the New England states. Governor Douglas was the 2007 recipient of this award. For more information, contact: Sara Wool, (802) 864-5263 or swool@bandgclub.org
Boys & Girls Club of Burlington Celebrates Youth with Day for Kids Burlington, VT– On Friday, September 14th, the Boys & Girls Club of Burlington will join with Boys & Girls Clubs across the country to celebrate youth with the annual Day for Kids. The event will take place from 3:00pm to 6:00pm at Roosevelt Park on Oak Street in Burlington. Join us for live music from Sambatucada!, relay races, face painting, Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, hot dogs from McKenzie Country Classics and much more! In addition, the Club will be giving out trial memberships for youth ages 5-18 to come and experience the new Clubhouse with a digital media lab, performing arts space, 25 computers, a recording studio and much more! BGC Day for Kids is all about the importance of meaningful time and relationships between caring adults and young people. This year, BGC Day for Kids will reach every corner of our nation and on U.S. military bases overseas. By celebrating BGC Day for Kids, we remind the children in our lives just how important they are. Thanks to the dedication and commitment of individuals, organizations and proud corporate supporters nationwide, the 2007 BGC Day for Kids celebration will gather our community to remember and recognize our young people.
Boys & Girls Club of Burlington Celebrates a Decade of Support from the Turrell Fund with Renewed Grant Burlington, VT– Celebrating over a decade of support, the Turrell Fund renewed its funding for the Boys & Girls Club of Burlington with a $25,000 grant toward the Club’s after school, weekend and summer programming. The Turrell Fund, a foundation that focuses on supporting direct services to disadvantaged children in Vermont and New Jersey, has supported the Club since 1996 with significant grants toward the Club’s wide array of programming. The Boys & Girls Club is proud to partner with them to expand the horizons and opportunities for Chittenden County’s youth while providing a safe and educational place for them to spend their out-of-school hours. About the Boys & Girls Club of Burlington Boys & Girls Club Member Wins in National Photography Contest Burlington, VT - Boys & Girls Club of Burlington member Zoe Gagnon has won both the local and regional contests of the Boys & Girls Club of America ImageMakers National Photography Contest. Her photo essay “Neighborhood Grill” was selected from thousands of entries to compete against 23 other photos for this prestigious award. Since 1960, the ImageMakers National Photography Contest has enabled Boys & Girls Club members to develop interest and skills in photography. The contest provides aspiring photographers with a chance to express their creativity by taking and developing their own pictures. At the National Competition, Zoe will not only have her portfolio reviewed by a panel of professional photographers, but will also compete for a scholarship funded by Circuit City and have her work included in a national touring exhibit. At the local level, the Boys & Girls Club of Burlington’s 5th annual photography contest was held on March 28th organized by Rebecca Schwarz (Club Art & Technology Director) and judged by Lorna Kay Peal, arts and business consultant, and photographers Jordan Silverman and Dok Wright. In addition to Zoe, local winners included Kourtney Stratton for “Threading”, Ryan Canady for “Lookout Pigeon” and Jamie Norseth for “Rockin’ My T”.
100 ON 100 Relay to Support Boys & Girls Clubs of Vermont FROM STOWE TO LUDLOW – Vermont’s annual 100 ON 100 “Heart of Vermont” Relay will run Saturday, August 18 and this year will donate money raised to the state’s Boys & Girls Clubs. Since its inaugural year in 2005, the non-profit 100 ON 100 relay has donated $10,000 in support of Vermont-based youth charities that improve self-esteem and self-image. “We are so grateful to the Relay and its organizers for making us the beneficiaries of their wonderful work,” said Jack Glazebrook, Director of Government Relations for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. “With this partnership, the ultimate winners are the thousands of Vermont children we serve all over the state.” Dubbed the “Heart of Vermont Relay”, the race is a six member team-based distance running experience that encompasses runners “handing off” to one another multiple times throughout the day. Each runner runs three times throughout the day completing roughly 16.5 miles in total. The total distance is 100 miles and the course follows scenic Route 100 from the Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe to Okemo Mountain Resort’s Jackson Gore area. To sign up your team for the relay; to volunteer, donate, sponsor a team or learn more about the event, visit www.100on100.org. For more information, contact: Robert O’Neil, (802) 453-3186 or Robert_ONeil@100on100.org
Boys & Girls Club of Burlington Members Team with Youth Agencies and Mayor to Help Stamp out Graffiti in the Old North End
Boys & Girls Club of Burlington Welcomes Ten Incoming Members to Board of Directors Burlington, VT – The Boys & Girls Club of Burlington recently welcomed ten new Board members onto their 2007-2008 Board of Directors. They are: Beth Peters Collins – Human Resources & Organizational Development, Green Mountain Power These new members will join current Board members: Jeffrey Nolan, President of the Board, Dinse Knapp & McAndrew; Roger Preis, President-elect, RPE Career Dynamics; Rebecca Beers, Secretary, KeyBank; Ken Ballard, Vice President of Resource Development, Spherion; Ellen Biddle, Vice President of Board Development, Hall Communications; Andrew Allen, Vermont Design Works; Starr Barnum V, NL Financial Alliance of Northern New England; Robert Cain, Paul, Frank & Collins; Geoff Hand, Shems, Dunkiel, Kassel & Saunders; J. Robert Jones, IBM; Benjamin King, Downs Rachlin Martin; Sandra McAllister, CIGNA HealthCare; Tuck Rainwater, Sirotkin & Necrason; Pat Thorton, Fleischer Jacobs Group; Risé Wilson, Middlebury College; and Michael Wool, Langrock Sperry & Wool. About the Boys & Girls Club of Burlington:
Boys & Girls Club of Burlington Members Receive Youth Initiated Grant from Champlain Initiative and United Way of Chittenden County Burlington, VT - Boys & Girls Club of Burlington members Nate Marshall, 17, and Corey Russell, 14, have been awarded a $1000 grant from the Chittenden County Youth Initiated Grantmaking Team from the Champlain Initiative and United Way of Chittenden County. The two successfully requested the money to purchase an electric guitar and bass, and an electronic drum kit for the new recording studio at the recently renovated 62 Oak Street Clubhouse. The Youth Initiated Grants require youth to design their own programs and write their own grant application. After weeks of planning, Marshall and Russell received the good news with a check presentation and site visit on March 30, 2007. Both Marshall and Russell have been heavily involved in the expanding music program at the Club’s 62 Oak Street Clubhouse in Burlington. Under the instruction of volunteer Guy Henderson, the pair has been working hard to improve their guitar and drum skills. With the new instruments they hope to create and record their own music, and inspire other Club members to join them. About the Boys & Girls Club of Burlington
Boys & Girls Club of Burlington receives $1,000 from the Downs Rachlin Martin, PLLC Community Fund The DRM Community Fund was begun in the fall of 2000 as part of the firm's celebration of 50 years of service. Since then the firm has awarded more than $100,000 in small grants for innovative grass-roots initiatives in the arts, education, economic development and historic preservation. Grants have been awarded to 120 private non-profit organizations in Vermont and western New Hampshire for projects that strengthen community. The Boys & Girls Club of Burlington was recently a proud recipient of $1,000 towards our sports, fitness and recreation program. This is a dynamic wellness program that demonstrates how eating right, keeping fit and forming positive relationships add up to a healthy lifestyle. The goal of our program is to improve Club members’ knowledge of healthy habits; increase the number of hours per day they participate in physical activities; and strengthen their ability to interact positively with others and engage in positive relationships. The Boys and Girls Club of Burlington serves over 1,800 children and teens each year. We operate three sites in Burlington and South Burlington providing educational, recreational, and character development opportunities through after school, evening, weekend and summer programs. Our mission is to inspire and enable all youth, regardless of circumstances, to realize their full potential as productive, responsible and caring citizens. Straight Talk Vermont Becomes MakeItHappen South Burlington, VT – Straight Talk Vermont, a program of the Boys & Girls Club of Burlington that encourages teens to engage in positive behaviors and leadership roles, has transitioned to a new organization name, MakeItHappen. The new name, chosen by past youth board members, better represents the program’s aim of inspiring and enabling youth to become leaders and realize their goals. According to Director of Operations David Alofsin, “The main meaning behind the name is that we as a group do anything and everything, as long as youth want to do it. If they want to have a concert, or do art, or take trips, we help them "make it happen". MakeItHappen serves 630 teens per year at their drop in center The Living Room in the University Mall, and reaches out to 400 more through events, mentoring and youth boards in schools.
Boys & Girls Club of Burlington Warms up Winter with ONE Fashion Event Burlington, VT – On Saturday, January 27, 2007 the Boys & Girls Club of Burlington and the North Face Store at KL Sport, with the help of local stores and designers, will heat up the runway at Higher Ground’s Showcase Lounge in South Burlington with the ONE Fashion Event. Models will show fashions from Ecco Clothes for Women, Michael Kehoe Ltd, Mendy’s Clothing Store, the North Face Store at KL Sport, Expressions, Made Boutique and more. The runway show will also feature clothing and accessories designed by Boys & Girls Club members, and hair and makeup by Aras Salon. The evening will finish with a DJ and dance party. The event kicks off with a cocktail hour at 7pm with the fashion show following at 8pm. Tickets are $35 per person and are available from the Boys & Girls Club of Burlington at 864-5263 or from the Higher Ground Box office at 1-800-512-SHOW. All proceeds will benefit the Boys & Girls Club of Burlington. About the Boys & Girls Clubs of Burlington
Straight Talk Vermont and Rawkhard Productions Kick Off Concert at The Annex at Memorial Auditorium Burlington VT - The Boys and Girls Club of Burlington, in connection with Straigth Talk Vermont and Rawkhawd production is putting on a concert @ The Annex (located in the basement of Memorial Auditorium, 250 Main St., Burlington) on Friday, January 26th. Doors will open @ 5:30pm with bands starting at 6:00pm. The show will be alcohol/drug free and will be all ages event. The price will be $5 a person. The show will feature the following bands (in order of appearance) Three Pages Short, Cash Crop, Chaotic Order, Rise to Fight, Blinded by Rage, Timeless , And Then There Were None. About Straight Talk Vermont
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