We are excited to announce that two Boys & Girls Clubs of Metropolitan Phoenix members were awarded first-place honors in the Boys & Girls Clubs of America National ImageMakers Photography Contest.

Amanda and Megan won first place in the scholarship and photo essay categories, respectively. They will both travel to San Francisco to receive their awards.

Their talent has also provided a great opportunity for other Club kids! The photo receiving the most votes earns a digital dark room at their Club. To check out the wining photos and to vote, simply click here and enter your vote for our national winner. In order to have a better pool of votes, the kids have decided to have all votes go towards the "Tomato - Tomotto" entry.

Share this with your friends and remember to vote every day until August 12!

Participate in Top-Notch Training, a workshop to benefit the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metropolitan Phoenix. HR executive turned keynote speaker Silver Rose will focus on tools and techniques to improve workplace relationships, a crucial component of success in any organization.

When: Friday, August 17, 2007
Where: Administrative Offices of the BGCMP
            2645 North 24th Street, Phoenix AZ 85008
Who: Find out more about Silver Rose at www.silverspeaks.com

Module 1: Communication Tools and Techniques to Avoid Conflict
Module 2: Surviving Busybodies, Bullies, & Boors
Module 3: Yours, Mine or Ours? Clarifying Roles and Responsibilities
Module 4: Specific Appreciation to Improve Customer Service & Teamwork

To enroll, call (602) 954-8182 or email rpierson@bgcmp.org. Group discounts are available. Early bird price for all 4 workshops is $200, 2 modules $125, or 90-minute module of your choice for $60. After August 10 the price for all 4 workshops is $225, for half day (2 modules) $135, or the 90-minute module for $75. Space is limited so call today!

Summer is a great time to have some fun! And the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metropolitan Phoenix is making sure kids have a blast this summer while also providing inner-city youth with opportunities they may not get otherwise.

During June, 10 Club members visited Lake Michigan as part of their Camp Klinger tour. The kids had a great time wake boarding, boating, tubing, and swimming - truly a once in a life time experience for many of them.

Kids also visited Camp Swift in Prescott. Over 45 kids participated in arts, canoeing, hiking, and other nature activities. Another group of kids will visit Camp Swift again this month providing several more Club members the opportunity to spend four days at the Camp.

In June, a small group of kids also attended the Wild West Fest 2007 in Telluride, Colorado. Kids enjoyed activities such as golfing, fly fishing, horsing, ranching, and trick roping for a whole week. For many of them, this was their first time having contact with a horse and playing in snow.

Teens at the Club also took a trip to Sedona to escape the city heat and have fun at Slide Rock Park. Approximately 20 kids participated in this trip and had a great time!

Many other opportunities took place such as a trip to the Amare Stoudamire Basketball Camp, and visits to museums and parks. And still some others will take place before the end of summer, such as a trip to Aspen, Colorado, for members of the Tri-City West/Thornwood Branch courtesy of Ashley and Scott Coles. We would like to thank all of those caring individuals who helped provide kids with a unique opportunity to leave the city and have some pretty amazing experiences.

During the month of August, Borders bookstores in the metropolitan Phoenix area will participate in a book drive benefiting the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metropolitan Phoenix. From August 1 until August 31, Borders will collect books for the kids at the Clubs. Borders will post the "wish list" of requested books for the kids to read.

Once the book drive is over, Borders will donate 5% of the value of the books received to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metropolitan Phoenix.

If you wish to participate, simply stop by your nearest Borders bookstore and request a Boys & Girls Club wish list. Purchase one of those books and donate it on site to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metropolitan Phoenix.

Help bring reading materials to Club kids!

Hundreds of kids will be all smiles as the annual Board of Directors Back-to-School Shopping takes place this August 15 at the JCPenney Paradise Valley Mall location.

Kids will be paired with board members, who will take them shopping for school clothes and supplies. As an incentive, JCPenney is providing a 20% discount on all items purchased. At least 100 kids are expected to receive support this year through this very successful event.

At the end of their shopping spree, the kids will walk away with a full bag of clothing and ear-to-ear smiles due to the generosity of the BGCMP Board of Directors, JCPenney, and Paradise Valley Mall.

This is going to be another great year of an awesome event!

Hundreds of youth from the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metropolitan Phoenix signed a pledge in July promising to never try methamphetamines ("meth").

The pledge drive stemmed from a partnership between the Arizona Meth Project and the Boys & Girls Clubs.

Maricopa County Supervisor Don Stapley was also present at the event to kick off this state-wide campaign and remind kids not to try meth ...not even once.

As part of the SMART program curriculum, kids learn how to say no to peer pressure and how to avoid the dangers of drugs, alcohol, and teen pregnancy. Prevention is the key to avoid the use of this highly-addictive drug.

Summer is almost over and kids are returning to the classroom and to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metropolitan Phoenix. The clubs are offering some new programs, some that were tested during the summer and are back by popular demand. Contact your nearest Club for a list of daily field trips. The following calendar of events lists samples of activities at the Clubs:

Thursday, August 9
Members of the Stewart Branch will participate in "Healthy Habits," a program started this summer whereby kids watch the movie "Supersize It" and then take a field trip to McDonalds and Subway to compare the types of food available, calories, and what constitutes a healthy diet.

Thursday, August 15
The Kieckhefer Branch kids will continue their "Kid's Kitchen" program again this year. This hour-long program teaches kids how to cook healthy meals without using an oven or stove. Kids learn to read and understand food labels and make yummy treats such as mini-muffin pizzas and strawberry shortcakes.

Tuesday, August 21
The Stewart Branch will provide a weekly Boys & Girls Club program entitled "Youth for Unity" whereby kids learn about diversity and tolerance of others through special activities.

Thursday, August 23
Signs-ups begin for the 6-week "Five of Clubs" program at the Sands Branch. Kids will participate in a different special interest "club" each day of the week - including old school games, healthy lunch, hygiene, fire safety, yoga, and much more!

Thursday, August 30
Don't forget the Troops! The Peoria Branch kids have designated this day in "Support of the Troops" and will come to the Club dressed in their camouflage clothes. They will participate in all sorts of themed games in recognition of our troops protecting our freedoms.

Call your local Club for more information and a complete schedule.

BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS "DAY FOR KIDS"
Saturday, September 15, 2007
All 10 branches will host different activities

12TH ANNUAL MAYORS' CHALLENGE GOLF TOURNAMENT
Saturday, October 6, 2007
Wigwam Resort & Golf Club

TODAY'S KIDS, TOMORROW'S STARS - CELEBRATING EXTRAORDINARY YOUTH!
HONORARY CHAIR BUD SELIG, MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL COMMISSIONER
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Arizona Biltmore Resort

For more info on these events, call (602) 954-8182 or visit www.bgcmp.org 

Kid of the Month Christopher Tellez

FSN Arizona’s Character Counts Kid of the Month is 9-year-old Christopher Tellez. Christopher will be attending the 4th grade in September and he is very anxious to begin.

Christopher has been participating in the Warner A. Gabel Summer Program for the past 3 years, and during this time the Club has become his summer home away from home.

His favorite areas at the Club are the games room and the learning center. In the games room, he loves to play pool and constantly improves his skills. In the learning center, he likes to work on the computers learning new concepts every day and also playing with other kids.

The summer provides Christopher with the opportunity of daily field trips, and he particularly enjoys the swimming expeditions. He likes coming to the club each summer because it is fun and he gets to see his friends and meet new ones as well. Christopher would like to become a professional football player when he grows up.

Congratulations to Christopher, the FSN Arizona's Character Counts Kid of the Month!

Steve Fusco, president of Top Of Mind Awareness (T.O.M.A.) Advertising, has been a board member with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metropolitan Phoenix (BGCMP) since 2000. Steve is a very active board member and can often be heard rallying the troops with a tremendous, “Come on! It’s for the kids!”

Steve has recently committed to his biggest Boys & Girls Clubs role yet ~ serving as the Chairman of the organization’s largest fundraising and youth recognition event, Today’s Kids, Tomorrow’s Stars which is scheduled for Saturday, February 23, 2008. Steve's promise to “shake the whole thing up” has begun with a commitment from Major League Baseball Commissioner, Bud Selig, to serve as the event's honorary chairman.

Whether it is through his commitment to Stars, the T.O.M.A. Advertising Bowling Tournament to benefit the BGCMP, or the scores of pro-bono advertising, Steve has at the top of his mind the desire to help kids benefit from his efforts, and to support the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metropolitan Phoenix.

Steve’s enthusiasm and commitment to the kids and clubs are to be commended and recognized as this month’s Volunteer of the Month.

If you are interested in learning more about volunteering please visit our website at www.bgcmp.org or call Teresa at (602) 343-1210.