Sponsor a child at the Boys & Girls Club

Each child who comes to the Club has their own set of circumstances, their own set of needs and challenges. And, of course, each child has their own gifts and potential to become someone with a great future ahead of them. Sometimes, all it takes is one person to help a child see that potential and get them on the right path toward their great future.

With your support, the Club is able to provide caring staff who connect with the kids at the Club every single day. They take every opportunity to be that one special person for a child that needs a positive influence in their life. A Program Director named Kelsey says, “When I think back on kids that I’m so proud to have made a difference to, there is one older member who really sticks out to me. She was a lone wolf at the Club. Being older, she thought she was ‘too cool’ to participate in many of the Club activities. Instead, all she wanted to do was help. She began helping me with little tasks, like cutting and stapling. After spending some time with her and getting to know her, I realized her home situation wasn’t ideal. Knowing that, I started thinking about how and what I could do to enrich her life in order to be a positive role model for her.

"I began calling her my ‘intern’ and I taught her everything I knew about being a leader. She then started helping with our kindergarteners, assisting them with activities and being their guide in the Club. It made me so proud to see her helping others.

“She went from a lone wolf to a class leader and watching that growth made me feel like she was a role model for me, too. In fact, I feel as though we really helped each other out. I taught her to get out of her shell and she taught me to put in the time with every kid that I see at the Club because our world’s next leaders are right here with us.”

Your support of the Club makes stories like this one possible. Thanks to you, instead of being a “lone wolf,” a child has become a caring leader and has moved one giant step further on the path to her great future. Thank you for making that possible!

Something amazing has happened at the Boys & Girls Club! An anonymous donor has pledged to match every new gift made by midnight on December 31st - up to $2,000,000!

The 2 MILLION DOLLAR CHALLENGE is a once in a lifetime opportunity that will be transformational for the organization and for the kids that it will allow the Club to help. Even if you have already made a gift, will you consider making another gift today and asking your friends to do the same?

Thanks to your support, families are able to get help at the Club when they need it the most. I'd like to share with you the story of a single mom and her kids who you are making a big difference to. This mom has been going through health struggles and recently had to undergo surgery. As a result, the family is struggling financially while she’s been recovering and unable to work. At the same time, she still needs the Club to care for her kids while she is recuperating. Instead of childcare becoming a financial hardship at an already difficult time, the Club’s emergency scholarship program has made all the difference, thanks to donors like you.

Here’s what their mom would like to tell you: “There are no words that can express our family’s gratitude toward all of you at the Boys & Girls Club. You have made our lives manageable and stable – providing a consistency of support for us – especially my children. Your extraordinary care and assistance while I recover from this surgery has been so helpful. Please thank all of the staff, admin, and donors for all that you do. We are sending you all much love!”

Even though things might be hard at home right now, the children can count on the caring adults at the Club to help them with their homework, plan fun activities, and give them a safe, fun place to play every day. Your support makes it possible for the Club to help this family through one of the hardest times in their lives, by providing a scholarship until their mom is back on her feet and able to work again. When you support the Club, you are never giving families a handout. Instead, you are giving families a helping hand up when they are struggling and they so appreciate all that you do for them! 

Thank you for giving families like this one the helping hand that makes a life-changing difference when they need it most. Please consider making a gift today and telling your friends about how every donation will be doubled thanks to the anonymous donor behind the 2 MILLION DOLLAR CHALLENGE! 

The Club will give low-income families more than $900,000 in scholarships this year so that their children can attend the Boys & Girls Club. That means that families will pay only what they can afford for all of the Club’s programs. Scholarship support helps with before and after school care, infant care, full days for school age kids in the summer, evening tutoring, and lots more. That’s only possible because of generous donors like you.

More than 80% of the parents whose families are part of our scholarship program say that they could not work at their current jobs without the Boys & Girls Club stepping in to make childcare affordable for their family. The other 20% say that their kids would be home alone.

One Fountain Valley mom says, “I am a single parent, I grew up in the foster system and I have a very limited support system when it comes to taking care of my kids. For the past few years, I have worked hard to change my socioeconomic status so that my children and I can live more comfortably. I am a full-time student and I work full-time as well. Without the Boys & Girls Club’s scholarship program, I would not be able to go to school or work at my current job.”

By supporting the Boys & Girls Club and its scholarship program, you are doing a lot more than giving kids an amazing place to learn and play. You are giving families the opportunity to break the cycle of poverty. Every day, this mom shows her kids the value of hard work and that each person has the ability to change their lives for the better. But, we all know that sometimes, you need a little help along the way. That’s where you come in. Thanks to you, she can count on the Boys & Girls Club to help her through this time while she is getting the education she needs to change her family’s financial situation for good. Thank you for being there for her when she needs you the most.

One of our long-time Club members, Amanda, recently spoke to a group of Boys & Girls Club supporters about how the Club has made a difference in her life. I'd like to share her story with you, because donors like you are who makes it possible for the Club to help kids like Amanda. Here's what she has to say. 

“I first walked through the doors of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Huntington Valley in 2008 to audition for a musical. My parents wanted a way to redirect my wild energy and introduce me to the performing arts, but it quickly became much more than that.

I discovered my passion for the arts and took advantage of opportunities to shine both on and off the stage. Not only was I taking dance and theater classes, I soon began to lead them, too, first as a teacher’s assistant, then as a choreographer, teacher, and director. Through leading classes for younger children, I found my sense of direction in life. That direction and purpose, along with support from the Club, got me through the toughest parts of my life.

During my junior year of high school, I wanted to be a perfect student while at the same time supporting my family through financial and medical struggles. All that pressure led to a series of horrible anxiety attacks. But the Club’s staff was my saving grace, always making sure that I was OK.

When you support the Boys & Girls Club, you’re helping kids like me find that support system when they need it most. From giving me a second home, to helping me discover my passion for the arts, to helping me develop the skills that I need to be a leader in my community, the Boys and Girls Clubs of Huntington Valley has completely changed my life for the better.

With your support, the Club has opened the door to my great future. I hope to become an arts therapist and pay it forward to another generation of kids, helping them on the path to their great futures. Your support makes a big difference – thank you!”

When you make a donation to the Boys & Girls Club, your gift makes a big impact on local families. We’d like to show you the numbers on how you’ve made a difference in 2018.

• 559 scholarships were given to reduce children’s weekly fees by 50%, making sure families pay only what they can afford.
• 351 extremely low income children attended the Oak View Branch for free.
• 355 low-income English language learner children and parents attended the Twilight Education Project for free.

That’s 1,265 children’s lives you changed for the better through the Club’s free programs and scholarships. Just as important to our community, you are helping more than just the kids. 82% of parents in the Club’s scholarship program report that the scholarship program is what makes it possible for them to work at their current job. That makes our whole community stronger by building our workforce, helping families stay off public assistance, and giving parents a hand up when they need it most to lift themselves out of poverty and make a better life for their kids. Thank you!

A single dad named Ruben whose daughters participate in our scholarship program says, "The Club is a huge blessing. The Club actually cares about me. They relieve a lot of stress for me and my girls love it. But, I couldn’t do it without the scholarship program. Because of donors like you, the Club gives me 50% off and that’s something I can manage. It makes me heart so happy to know my girls are in a place they love every day. Thank you for all that you do to help people like me find a better life."

Thank you for helping change lives for the better in 2018!