Education United States Project #10625

Build a Boys & Girls Club for at-risk kids in CA

by Boys & Girls Clubs of Huntington Valley

Project Report | Nov 30, 2012
Happy holidays from the Boys & Girls Club!

By Laura Portier-LaLumiere | Director of Development

Thank you for supporting the Boys & Girls Clubs of Huntington Valley! You make the holidays and every day happy and bright for kids at the Boys & Girls Club and you bring us an important step closer to building a new Club in Huntington Beach to help even more kids.

Part of the "Family Campus" at Golden West College that the Boys & Girls Club is building is the Robert Mayer Child Development Preschool, which opened in 2011 thanks to donors like you. I'd like to tell you about Jubilee, one of the Robert Mayer Child Development Preschool’s recent graduates. When she started at the Club, she was scared. She spoke only Vietnamese and she had never been away from her mom. She had a tough time with the separation. The Club’s staff worked hard to make her feel welcome and safe. They also worked with her on the English language skills that would help her make friends and become more comfortable and better able to interact with the other children. During her time at the Robert Mayer Preschool, she blossomed. Her English improved dramatically and she became an independent and social little girl. Her mother says, “She is doing amazing in kindergarten. She knows English and she’s making friends easily. She hasn’t been scared at all – just excited to go to school every day. She’s right on track academically, and it was a great transition for her.” Now, Jubilee’s little sister Josephine has started in the three-year old classroom. The Club is excited to help another little one get ready for success in school and prepare for a great future.

With help from donors like you, we are working toward opening a new school age Club to be adjacent to our preschool. When the new school age Club is complete, the Boys & Girls Club can continue to be part of helping children like Jubilee and Josephine succeed and excel in school and in life throughout their whole childhood. Your support makes that possible. Thank you so much!

From the entire Boys & Girls Club family, we wish you a holiday season filled with happiness!

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Sep 11, 2012
Starting great futures at the Boys & Girls Club

By Laura Portier-LaLumiere | Director of Development

Sasha Graduates from High School

At the Boys & Girls Club, we say “Great Futures Start Here.” And it’s true! Great futures do start at the Boys & Girls Club. Our Clubs in Huntington Beach and Fountain Valley have a couple of celebrity alumni that we couldn’t be more proud of like Tony Gonzales of the Atlanta Falcons and CJ Wilson of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. We’re proud of them not only for their amazing talents, but because they are good people, with good values. They work hard, they care about the people in their community, and they put that caring into action to do good for others who may be less fortunate than they are.

Most great futures don’t come with the kind of fame that CJ and Tony have, but they are great nonetheless and so important. I’d like to tell you about a young woman named Sasha and how the Club helped her get on the path to a great future.

Sasha was a Club member from 1st grade through 7th grade and the Club is proud to have helped her on the way to becoming the wonderful young woman she is today. When she was just 11 years old, back in 2004, she was named "Youth of the Year" of the Club's Kid Connection Branch in Huntington Beach for being such a kind, generous, and thoughtful kid. At that time, the Club asked her, "If you could write the script of your life, what would the storyline be?" She answered, "It will be about a young lady who learned many life lessons in her childhood that she will take with her throughout the rest of her life."

The Boys & Girls Club has been a big part of the life lessons she has carried with her. Sasha says, “The Club taught me how to get along better with big groups of people and how to treat others kindly and respectfully.” She was also inspired to give back and help other kids. During the school year, she helps special needs kids, including many who participate in the Special Olympics. During summers, she comes back to work at the Huntington Beach Branch of the Boys & Girls Club. She loves being able to give back to the place where she started as well as working with and encouraging other children just as the Club's staff encouraged her. She especially remembers a staff member named Eric who taught her how to shoot a basketball. He encouraged her to play ball with the boys and kept her motivated with constant positive feedback on her playing. That made a big difference to her and basketball has been an important part of her life ever since. She played all through high school and helped lead her team to the San Diego Classic Championship and the Nike Tournament of Champions Championship. This year, Sasha is a sophomore at Lewis and Clark University in Portland, Oregon. She plays center for Lewis & Clark's women's basketball team and also has a rigorous academic schedule.

She's the first generation in her family to go to college and she's taking advantage of every opportunity. Sasha is double majoring in political science and international affairs. When she finishes with college, her plan for her great future is to become a lawyer.

By helping open the door to California’s first Boys & Girls Club on a college campus, you are opening the door to great futures for thousands of kids like Sasha. Thank you!

Sasha Came Back to the Club as a Staff Member

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