Program teaches soccer to Club members
It was a cold January day, but it was also a Friday afternoon, and the youngsters at the Boys & Girls Club were getting restless.
Going outside on this wintry day wouldn’t mean basketball, as it usually does on the blacktop courts off East Main Street.
Waynesboro High School soccer players Eric Chandler and Matthew Burns were on hand to begin a new program aimed at teaching Club members the “beautiful game.”
“We’re here to expose the Boys & Girls Club to soccer, something that we grew up with, we love, to get them doing it, too. It’s a lot of fun,” said Burns, who coached one group of Club members, The Dominators, they called themselves, through a few drills before running a series of scrimmages. Continue reading “Program teaches soccer to Club members” »
Boys & Girls Club marks successful Holiday Open House
The Boys & Girls Club of Waynesboro, Staunton and Augusta County raised more than $15,000 through its annual holiday raffle.
The Club marked the raffle on Saturday, Dec. 5, with a new twist – a Holiday Open House that invited members and their families to the Waynesboro Club location for arts and crafts, snacks and visits with Santa.
“We’re trying to reach out to the community and bring families into the Club,” Club Board member Emily Lucente said.
For Club President Tom Hardiman, involvement in the local Club is payback for positive experiences as a youth member.
The Boys & Girls Club “made a huge impact on my life,” Hardiman said, “and I know it’s making an impact on the young people in our community.”
“We like to say our slogan is, Great Futures Start Here. We’re looking for the community to help us help these youth in our community,” Hardiman said.
Online at www.AugustaBGClubVa.org.
Giving Thanks
What are you most thankful for this Thanksgiving? That was the question we posed to several members of the Boys & Girls Club in Waynesboro this week.
“I’d have to say … well, my parents., because they’re very helpful. They care for me and all that … and my brother and my sister. They’re, like, there for me and stuff like that. I like how they’re always there for me. My mom and stepdad are always helping out with each other, making a team. We’re strong together. My family members, all together we’re strong,” said Tylik Mawyer, 12, a student at Kate Collins Middle School.
“I’m thankful for God because he’s the one that made all of us, and He’s the one that made this Boys & Girls Club. And I love the Boys & Girls Club,” said Rachel Obiro, 8, a student at Westwood Elementary School.
“I’m most thankful for my family … how my mom and dad love me, and how they take care of me and my little brother,” said Re’sun Stevenson, 9, a student at Wenonah Elementary.
“My family, and the people who give me the stuff for Thanksgiving. And my brothers. And my mom and my dad,” said Michaela Williams, 8, a student at Wenonah.
“I’m thankful for my family and my friends. And my three brothers and my sister,” said Shiona Hodgins, 9, also a student at Wenonah.
“Turkey! Turkey, stuffing and the rest of the food. Mostly my mom,” said Aalayah Hubbard, 8, a student at Berkeley Glenn Elementary.
More on the Club at www.AugustaBGClub.org.
Best Buy grant will aid Club Tech Center
A $10,000 grant from Best Buy will go toward the installation of a new Technology Center at the Boys & Girls Club in Waynesboro.
The grant, through Best Buy’s At 15 program, which is focused on community programs aimed at teens and adolescents, is the second in as many years to go to the Club from Best Buy, said Chris Ashby, the director of logistics at Best Buy in Staunton.
“We feel very, very fortunate that we’re able to work with the Boys & Girls Club again this year and provide them with funding,” Ashby said.
Joe Pittman headed up the review committee at the local Best Buy distribution center. He said the committee was focused this year on working with programs “that directly help the youth and try to tie the youth to technology.”
“Technology is a bigger part of children’s lives today. To have this program available for local area youth is hopefully going to have a big impact,” Pittman said.
Club Executive Director Ty McElroy said the money will go toward the purchase of new computers and related equipment for the Technology Center at the Club.
“Hopefully the products that we purchase will last several years into the future,” McElroy said.
More on the Boys & Girls Club at www.AugustaBGClub.org.
Holiday Open House at Boys & Girls Club
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Waynesboro, Staunton and Augusta County are hosting a Holiday Open House on Saturday, Dec. 3, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the 302 E. Main St., Waynesboro Boys & Girls Club location.
The Open House will feature arts and crafts, pictures with Santa, cookies and hot chocolate, displays of ornaments made by Club members that will be made available for sale, and a reverse raffle featuring a $7,000 grand prize.
The public is invited to the event. Raffle tickets are on sale for $100 each with a limit of 249 tickets sold. In addition to the $7,000 first prize, there will be two $1,000 winners and two $500 winners in the raffle.
For more information about the event, or to purchase a ticket for the raffle, call the Club at 540.942.4516 or go online to www.AugustaBGClubVa.org.
Tickets on sale for Boys & Girls Club raffle
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Waynesboro, Staunton and Augusta County are currently selling tickets to their annual Holiday Raffle – with a grand prize of $7,000 and second and third prizes of $1,000 and $500 to a group of lucky winners.
The tickets are selling for $100 each – and will be limited to 249 buyers.
The winners – one $7,000 prize, two $1,000 prizes and two $500 prizes – will be announced at the Boys & Girls Clubs’ holiday event on Saturday, Dec. 3, at the Waynesboro Boys & Girls Club location at 302 E. Main St.
For more information, or to purchase a ticket, call the Club at 540.942.4516.
Boys & Girls Clubs receives 21st Century Grant from Department of Education
The Boys & Girls Clubs is pleased to announce it has received a $195,000 grant from the Virginia Department of Education. The Boys & Girls Clubs will use these funds to support the afterschool program for Kate Collins Middle School students at the Waynesboro Boys & Girls Club.
The 21st Century Community Learning Centers program supports the creation of opportunities for academic enrichment during non-school hours for children. The program helps students meet state and local standards in core academic subjects, such as reading and mathematics; offers students enrichment activities that complement regular academic programs; and offers literacy and other educational services to the families of participating children.
“With this grant we will be able to provide enhanced programming to our members who attend Kate Collins Middle School. This funding will also allow us to leverage current community support to enhance our programming in other areas of the Club,” said Tyrell McElroy, executive director of the Club.
Virginia Department of Education funds, through a competitive process, projects that provide significant expanded learning opportunities for children and youth, and that will assist students to meet or exceed state and local standards in core academic subjects. This year, more than 110 agencies applied for funding, with only 38 receiving funding.
“We are obviously excited that the state recognized our efforts and awarded this grant,” said board member Tom Hardiman. “This will provide us with a solid financial base to build upon, and help us fulfill our mission to help young people, especially those most in need, realize their full potential.”
Donation makes Teen Center look Grand
Teens have some brand-new, comfy accommodations in the Teen Center at the Boys & Girls Club in Waynesboro – thanks to Grand Home Furnishings.
Grand donated four new leather couches to the Teen Center at the East Main Street Club. Employees delivered and placed the couches in the Club on Friday, to applause from Club members.
The donation is part of a project to mark the company’s 100th year in business. In celebration, Grand is embarking on a series of community-service projects. “We want to thank people in the communities that have supported us,” said Colleen Price, the manager of the Waynesboro Grand Home Furnishings store.
Store employees voted to support the Boys & Girls Club, and Price and a group of employees visited the Club and saw the need for new furniture in the Teen Center. The donation of four leather couches with a retail value of $2,200 gives the Club something that is “more durable, more comfortable, and just looks good,” said Price.
“We’re glad to be able to do this. It is a privilege for us to be able to give back to the community in this way,” Price said.
More information on the Boys & Girls Club is online at AugustaBGClubVa.org.
Boys & Girls Club holds Open House
The Boys & Girls Club showcased its kinder, gentler side to the local business community on Thursday.
“We want people to realize that (the arts) is something that we do here,” said Tyrell McElroy, the chief professional officer at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Waynesboro, Staunton and Augusta County, which held an Open House at its Waynesboro location with the Greater Augusta Regional Chamber of Commerce.
The showcase event was a play put on by members of the Club that wove together several children’s tales. Members of Waynesboro City Council, including Mayor Frank Lucente, were in attendance along with State Del. Dickie Bell and members of the local business community.
“A lot of times people think that when you come to the Club, the kids come to the Club to get help with their homework. We have a lot of different program areas, including the arts, sports and fitness, health and life skills, education and career and also character and leadership development. With this event, we were able to show a little bit of what we do here,” McElroy said.
Boys & Girls Club to host Open House
The Boys & Girls Club of Waynesboro, Staunton, and Augusta County will host an Open House for members of the Greater Augusta Chamber of Commerce on Thursday, June 2 from 4-6 p.m.
The event, to be held at the Waynesboro Club at 302 E. Main St., will give companies an opportunity to tour the facility and learn more about how the Boys & Girls Club is helping to prepare youth to realize their full potential.
In addition to the tour, the children will be performing a brief play for the business community at 5 p.m., followed by comments from the executive director and board members of the Club. Door prizes and snacks, provided by Chick-fil-A, round out the agenda.
There is no cost to attend, so please make plans to attend and show your support of the Boys & Girls Club.
The Boys and Girls Club of Waynesboro, Staunton, and Augusta County serves more than 600 youth from its facilities in Staunton and Waynesboro. The mission of the Club is to enable all young people, especially those who need us most to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens.
The Club receives no direct federal or state funding support and relies primarily on the generosity of the community for its operating funds. Individual donations of $500 or more, or business donations of $1,000 or more are eligilble for a 40 percent state tax credit through the Neighborhood Assistance Program.
For more information about the Club or the Open House, call 540.949.4516 or go to www.augustabgclub.org.
Boys & Girls Club announces Photography at The Pavilion fundraiser
A new photo contest will tell the story of the Boys & Girls Club locally while celebrating the youth-service organization’s five core values.
Photography at The Pavilion will culminate with an exhibition at the Frontier Culture Museum in Staunton on Thursday, June 30, at 6 p.m. The exhibition will feature entrants into the photo contest being sponsored by the Boys & Girls Club.
Entries can illustrate any of the five core values of the Boys & Girls Club:
- Character & Leadership
- Education & Career
- Health & Life Skills
- The Arts
- Sports, Fitness & Recreation
Winners will be decided by a panel of professional photographers as well as by the attendees of the Photography at The Pavilion event. Submissions must be received by June 30th with an entry fee of $25 for up to three photographs.
All submissions must be made digitally via e-mail to bgclubva@gmail.com.
Entry fees must be received by mail at
Boys & Girls Club
302 E. Main St.
Waynesboro, VA 22980
Fees can also be paid through a PayPal link at our website – www.augustabgclub.org.
Tickets for the Photography at The Pavilion event on June 30 are $40 each and include dinner and drinks. Tickets can be purchased at the Boys & Girls Club in Waynesboro and also are available online via PayPal.
AFP launches new website for Boys & Girls Club
Augusta Free Press LLC has partnered with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Waynesboro, Staunton Augusta County to put up a new local Boys & Girls Club website.
The site – online at www.AugustaBGClubVa.org – showcases club programs like the Power Hour homework-help program plus details on how to become a member and how local businesses and individuals can help the club achieve its mission.
Augusta Free Press LLC developed the new website for the local Boys & Girls Club and will work with the club to provide news stories, videos and updated event information for the site on an ongoing basis.
The new site will also feature an Annual Campaign page that will allow donors to make secured online contributions to the club’s annual campaign.
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Waynesboro, Staunton and Augusta County operate two club locations – at 302 E. Main St. in Waynesboro and at 1114 W. Johnson St. in Staunton.
Augusta Free Press LLC provides web-design, marketing and PR services for businesses and nonprofits in the Shenandoah Valley, Central Virginia and the Washington, D.C./Northern Virginia markets. More information about Augusta Free Press LLC is available online at www.AFPBusiness.com.
