The new Swift Kids Clubhouse is swiftly becoming the talk of the town!

Hundreds of kids and community members came together on Wednesday, October 8th to celebrate the grand opening of the new Swift Kids Branch in Glendale. This new Clubhouse will serve more than 1,500 youth each year in an area desperately needing the programs and services provided by the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metropolitan Phoenix.

There were smiles, cheers and laughter as the youth of the Swift Kids Branch shared their new Clubhouse with their family, friends and community. There were event “howls” of excitement when Phoenix Coyotes mascot Howler joined in for the celebration. Thanks to Mr. Jerry Moyes, the Swift Companies and numerous other contributors, the new Club is now home away from home for the youth in the Glendale community.

At the Club, youth and teens now have a safe place to go after school. They have a place where they can learn and develop in a positive, nurturing environment. The Club has a learning center, computer lab, art room, games room and gym, including rock climbing wall. Teens have the Virginia G. Piper teen center also known as “The Club,” complete with games room, computer learning center and their own gym.

During the event, guests heard first hand how the Club truly impacts the lives of kids, as Breana Corey, 2009 Swift Kids Branch Youth of the Year, shared her story. As youth walk through the doors of the Club each day, they will find hope and opportunity for a brighter future.

We wish to thank the following sponsors and donors who made the grand opening celebration a possible:

Mr. & Mrs. Jerry C. Moyes
Swift Aviation Group
Swift Charities for Children
Swift Transportation
Coyotes Charities

Anthony Holly Foundation
Arizona Auto Dealer's Association
Arizona Sports & Tourism Authority
Arizona Superbowl Host Committee
Butler Design Group LLC
Canyon Plastering & Drywall
Clark-Wayland Builders LLC
Community Church of Joy
Dorrance Family Foundation
Essco Wholesale Electric / EGM Inc.
Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold
City of Glendale
Glendale Elementary School District #40
Integra Telecom
Intel Corporation
JPMorgan Chase
Mr. Manny Martinez
Powers Steel & Wire Products, Inc.
Salt River Project
Mr. Dave B. Sciotto
Snell & Wilmer, L.L.P.
The Arizona Republic
The Thunderbirds
Virginia D. Piper Charitable Trust
Wal-Mart
Walton Family Foundation
Western Block Company

Thank you to all volunteers and staff who made the grand opening celebration a huge success!

During this presidential election season, kids at all ten Clubs of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metropolitan Phoenix will have an opportunity to learn about the democratic process by participating in the Kids Voting Arizona program.

The program helps kids learn how the democratic process works and much more. The result is the development of lifelong voting habits in children and increased adult voter turnout.

Kids from all Clubs will convene at the Swift Kids Branch on October 28th for "the mother of all conventions." Kids will be representing the presidential candidates running for office, giving speeches, and presenting display boards at their booths. Each club will represent an Arizona county and the culmination of the event will involve all kids voting to select their favorite candidate.

Abraham Lincoln stated that, "The philosophy of the schoolroom in one generation will be the philosophy of the Government of the next." This will be a unique opportunity to learn how Government works in the United States.

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Metropolitan Phoenix received support from Western Refining to continue providing free nutritious meals to some of our Valley’s most deserving youth.

During this time of financial crisis families are often faced with the choice of having a warm meal on their table, or paying rent or other utilities. Western Refining has stepped in and made a donation to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metropolitan Phoenix to support our Food Program. Western Refining believes in building a better community, and this move is just one way that the company is making a difference in their community.

The check presentation took place at the grand opening of Western Refining's new central location. The company is helping its 225 local employees by providing easy access to mass transit routes, promoting employee van and carpools to the new location.

If you would like to make a direct contribution to our Food Program, you can do so by donating online. Click here to Donate Today!

Nancy and David Atkins have been dedicated volunteers. Over the years, they have seen many young people positively impacted by their local Boys & Girls Club. David Atkins expressed a wish to create a legacy to provide future support to continue our mission, “The work of the Boys & Girls Club is important to us and we provided support with current gifts, but wanted to do more.”

Nancy Atkins said about their decision to leave a bequest to Boys & Girls Club, “…we each included a provision for a bequest. Our lawyer put language in the will that allows a percentage of our estate to go to the Boys & Girls Club. This was easy to arrange and permits us to still use our assets during our lives if we need them.”

You may also want to have an easy and convenient bequest included in your will. For more information on how you can make a difference by making a planned gift, please call (602) 954-8182 or e-mail Brad Kuluris at bkuluris@bgcmp.org.

Kids from our Clubs were among the first to see NFL teams hit the gridiron for the pre-season openers, thanks to generous donations from RazorGator in collaboration with Boys & Girls Clubs of America.

As the professional football season kicks off this month, Boys & Girls Club members in 14 cities across the U.S. including San Diego, Phoenix, Dallas, Indianapolis and Atlanta, had an opportunity to experience the tackles, touchdowns and fun up close and personal with their favorite NFL players, some of whom are former Club members themselves!

Thank you to RazorGator and the Boys & Girls Clubs of America for making this experience possible for our kids.

The list below is a sample of Club activities. For a complete list of activities please contact your nearest Club.

October 18
Kids from the Jerry & Helen Wisotsky/Peoria Branch will celebrate Chantel Sanchez day! This day was a set aside to honor the achievements of Peoria's own Chantel who was selected as Youth of the Year for the Club in 2005 and made her way to the National competition meeting with the President in the oval office of the White House.

October 24-25
Basketball Hall of Famer Nancy Lieberman will be hosting a 2 day coed basketball camp. Five kids from the Herbert Kieckhefer Branch will be working with Lieberman on drills and game strategies along with other kids from the Valley.

October 28
Club members will have an opportunity to learn about the democratic process as they participate in Kids Vote Arizona. Members from all Clubs will visit the Swift Kids Branch for this important event. Kids will have a chance to hear from kids representing the candidates and will then have a chance to vote for their favorite.

November 1
The 6th annual Techathalon presented by AT & T will be hosted at the brand new Swift Kids Branch of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metropolitan Phoenix. Over 200 Club members from across Arizona will test the depth of their technological knowledge by competing in a variety of computer related challenges.

November 4
The Youth of the Year Journey begins as one youth from each Clubhouse begins a 14-week leadership and teamwork training. The culmination of The Journey is the Today's Kids, Tomorrow's Stars event were one youth is selected as the 2009 Youth of the Year.

There are a variety of other activities going on throughout the month. Call your local Club for more information and a complete schedule.

ED ROBSON FAMILY BRANCH GRAND OPENING
December 3, 2008
Ed Robson Family Branch

TODAY'S KIDS, TOMORROW'S STARS
February 21, 2009
Arizona Biltmore Resort

CHAMPION'S DINNER - A PRE-TASTE CELEBRATION
April 11, 2009
Westin Kierland Resort & Spa

35TH ANNUAL TASTE 2009
April 26, 2009
Kierland Commons

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

Kid of the Month Samuel Engler with Phoenix Suns' Raja Bell

Samuel Engler is a 14-year-old that has been attending the Jerry & Helen Wisotsky/Peoria Boys & Girls Clubs for the past seven years. He began attending the Club when his mom was looking for an affordable place for him to stay while she was working. This turned out to be a blessing for Samuel who made many friends and has participated in many different sport leagues. Recently his basketball team made it all the way to the championship games.

Samuel is a member of the National Junior Honor Society and has maintained a grade point average over 3.5. At school he participates in the football, basketball and softball teams.

As for his short term goals, Samuel would like to become a staff member at the Peoria Boys & Girls Club. In the future, he would like to attend college and earn a degree in marketing and start his own business.

Due to his outstanding character and leadership, we are proud to name Samuel as the FSN Arizona Character Counts Kid of the Month. Congratulations, Samuel!

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Metropolitan Phoenix is proud to recognize Mr. Jerry Moyes & Family for their volunteer and community leadership efforts that have resulted in the Swift Kids Boys & Girls Club in Glendale.

Mr. Moyes served as the Chairperson of the Swift Kids Branch helping secure the necessary resources to ensure that the Club became a reality.

The Jerry Moyes Family hand prints are everywhere we turn, and we are grateful for their contributions that have impacted kids lives. And now, with the new Swift Kids branch, they will forever change the lives of over 1,500 deserving children in our community.

We are honored to recognize Mr. Jerry Moyes as our volunteer of the month for his accomplishments on behalf of the kids of our community!