The Boys & Girls Clubs of Metropolitan Phoenix is
celebrating 60 years of serving youth in the Valley and the groundbreaking ceremony of three new Clubhouses: 

The Jerry Colangelo Clubhouse
The Glendale Clubhouse
The Robson Family Clubhouse

At our Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow Connecting Lives event sponsored by Cox Communications

Please join us for this commemorative  occasion Wednesday, October 18, 2006,
4:30 p.m. at the Harry & Sandy Rosenzweig clubhouse
(formerly the Agnes Miller Unit)
2242 West Missouri Avenue, Phoenix AZ 85015. RSVP by calling (602) 954-8182 or email rsvp@bgcmp.org

Following this historic celebration, cheer on the alumni team at the "Back in the Day" Basketball Tournament sponsored by FSN Arizona.

This basketball game will feature Club alumni versus current members, and segments of the game will be aired during an upcoming Suns Live post-game show on FSN Arizona.  

Sign up for this celebration!
Click here: 

Our 60th anniversary celebration will encompass additional activities such as a unique sports event titled "Back in the Day" Basketball Tournament sponsored by FSN Arizona. This tournament will team up alumni members as they compete with current Club members.

The "Back in the Day" Basketball Tournament will take place at the Harry & Sandy Rosenzweig clubhouse gym (2242 West Missouri Avenue in Phoenix) and will begin at 6:00 p.m. 

If you are an alumnus and you think you have what it takes to compete against our talented members, sign up by calling (602) 954-8182 or emailing alumni@bgcmp.org and include the words "sign me up to play" in the subject. The deadline to sign up to play in the tournament is Wednesday, October 11. 

For more information about the event or to RSVP, you can visit our new website at www.bgcmp.org, call (602) 954-8182 or send an email to rsvp@bgcmp.org. Space is limited so sign up today! 

West Valley mayors are teaming up once again to help our community's youth. This October 7, join Marie Lopez Rogers, Mayor of Avondale; Tom Schoaf, Mayor of Litchfield Park; Adolfo Gamez, Mayor of Tolleson; James Cavanaugh, Mayor of Goodyear; and Bob Bryant, Mayor of Buckeye, for the 11th Annual Mayors’ Challenge Golf Tournament sponsored by UTI. The tournament will take place on Saturday, October 7, 2006, at the Wigwam Golf Resort & Spa. 

Since its inception in 1995, the tournament has raised more than $150,000 to support the Tri-City West/Thornwood Branch of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metropolitan Phoenix (BGCMP). 

The Mayors’ Challenge Golf Tournament offers a unique golf opportunity allowing participants to tee-off against the West Valley mayors. The tournament promises to be a fun-filled day of golfing for a great cause.

The tournament will take place at the beautiful Wigwam Golf Resort & Spa (300 Wigwam Boulevard, Litchfield Park, AZ 85340) with registration starting at 6:30 a.m. The event will begin at 7:30 a.m. with a shotgun start. 

The Pension Protection Act of 2006 and Charities

On Thursday, August 17, President Bush signed the Pension Protection Act (PPA) of 2006.  Portions of the PPA relate to tax-free withdrawals from Individual Retirement Accounts and Roth IRAs to fund charitable gifts.  As a result, certain donors can use funds in their IRAs and Roth IRAs to make charitable gifts without seeing an impact on their adjusted gross income.  This will be especially helpful to donors who have reached the limit (50% of AGI) for charitable deductions, for donors who have high incomes and were concerned about the impact on taxes on other portions of their income, or for lower income donors who are concerned about their Social Security income being taxed.  To take advantage of the PPA, donors must be 70 1/2 or older.  Funds must be given directly to the charity (i.e., the donor should not receive the funds from the IRA and then give the funds to the charity).  And funds cannot be used to fund planned giving vehicles.  An excellent brief on the benefits and possible ways to promote the PPA to donors can be found on The Sharpe Group's website here. 

Contact our Development Office at (602) 954-8182 for more information.  

Source: The Insider August 2006 - Boys & Girls Clubs of America 

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Metropolitan Phoenix is calling all alumni to Come on Home! If you attended a Boys Club or a Boys & Girls Club anywhere in the country, we want to hear from you.

Give us a call at 602.954.8182 or send an email to alumni@bgcmp.org and share your story. Then mark your calendar for October 18, 2006, as we celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metropolitan Phoenix with the groundbreaking of three new clubhouses as part of our Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow Connecting Lives celebration. Then watch as alumni and current Club members battle it out on the basketball court as part of the "Back in the Day" Basketball Tournament sponsored by FSN Arizona.

The events will take place on Wednesday, October 18, at the Harry & Sandy Rosenzweig Branch (formerly the Agnes Miller Unit) located at 2242 West Missouri Avenue, in Phoenix beginning at 4:30 p.m.

Come on Home and join the thousands of others that have been impacted by the Boys & Girls Clubs!

The Clubs are returning to their back-to-school schedules, which means fun education activities and sports for kids each day! The listed events are samples of activities at the Clubs: 

Friday, September 29
Members from all ten branches of the BGCMP gathered at the Jerry & Helen Wisotsky/Peoria Branch to celebrate the Worldwide Day of Play. Kids participated in activities such as dodge ball, potato sack run, baton relay, and several others. The event took place from 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Thursday, October 5
Banana Olympics at Tri-City West/Thornwood Branch with all clubs participating. The activity was planned for kids ages 8-10 and consisted of relay races, forehead banana balancing, a game of steal the banana, and much more. The event took place from 5-7 p.m.

Wednesday, October 11
The I. G. Homes Branch will host an educational and entertaining performance by Scott (aka "The Human Calculator"), which is sponsored by Qwest. The Human Calculator will show kids how much fun math can be and will make jaws drop with his remarkable math skills that allow him to add, subtract, multiply and divide all in his head with amazing speed. The Human Calculator will also be looking for his "math protégé" - a kid who loves math as much as he does. The event will take place from 1-3 p.m. 

Tuesday, October 17
Kids at all ten branches of the BGCMP will learn about and participate in the democratic process by joining their parents in voting through Kids Voting Arizona. Kids will learn about the importance of democracy and participation through several activities leading up to an October 17 vote. 

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

11TH ANNUAL MAYORS' CHALLENGE GOLF TOURNAMENT
Saturday, October 7, 2006
Wigwam Golf Resort & Spa

YESTERDAY, TODAY, TOMORROW CONNECTING LIVES SPONSORED BY COX COMMUNICATIONS.
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
Harry & Sandy Rosenzweig Branch

BACK IN THE DAY BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT SPONSORED BY FSN ARIZONA
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
Harry & Sandy Rosenzweig Branch

VALLEY PARTNERSHIP RENOVATION OF THE HERBERT KIECKHEFER BRANCH
Saturday, November 4, 2006
Herbert Kieckhefer Branch

EXECUTIVE COUNCIL FALL CLASSIC GOLF TOURNAMENT
Friday, December 1, 2006
Talking Stick Golf Club

TODAY'S KIDS, TOMORROW'S STARS
Saturday, February 24, 2007
Arizona Biltmore Resort 

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

Jerry Coker with FSN Arizona reporter Brad Steinke

For Jerry Coker, the Herbert Kieckhefer Branch of the BGCMP provides the perfect environment in which to complete his home work. Everyday after school you can find Jerry participating in the Power Hour program, which helps him complete his homework and become involved in other educational activities. During his summer break, Jerry took the opportunity to explore all the Club has to offer, including the Arts program. 

At 12 years of age, Jerry is an avid basketball player and participates in the FSN Arizona Basketball League. His optimistic attitude and helpful ways have gained him praise from the staff and his peers at the Club. 

Jerry is a leader among Club members, who gravitate toward him because of his positive attitude. Although he doesn’t think about it, Jerry is a great role model for other members to emulate. His character and optimistic attitude make him proud to represent the BGCMP as this month’s FSN Arizona’s Character Counts Kid of the Month. 

Linda Pope at the "It's a Girl Thing" Mentorship Program

The BGCMP is proud to recognize community leader Linda Pope as the volunteer of the month. Linda and her husband, Bill, have supported the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metropolitan Phoenix since the early nineties, contributing countless volunteer hours and much-needed funding for our programs. 

A long-time Valley resident and founder of the Giving Hearts Foundation, Linda is committed to helping Boys & Girls Clubs. Most recently, Linda wanted to support young women by hosting a mentorship program, It’s a Girl Thing, Do What You Dream You Can Do! This exciting mentorship program consisted of dinner, shopping, and good conversation. What more could a young woman ask for? 

Linda’s initiative to help gather distinguished women in the community to serve as positive role models for impressionable young women at our Clubs is an exciting and fabulous way to truly impact young lives. This is just one of the many ways Linda Pope helps change the lives of our children. 

In addition to their annual support, Linda and Bill Pope served as honorary co-chairs of the Today’s Kids, Tomorrow’s Stars event in 2002, and both have served on our Board of Directors. 

Thank you, Linda, for your dedication to help improve our community!