From the Desk of Megan McCarthy Beauvais
Celebrating Achievements and Looking Forward to a Bright New Year!
As we bid farewell to another incredible year at the Boys & Girls Club of Collier County, it’s time to reflect on the numerous accomplishments that have made 2023 truly remarkable. This year, our members have shown resilience, creativity, and determination in the face of challenges, and we are immensely proud of each and every one of them.
Academic Excellence: A Foundation for Future Success
Our commitment to academic excellence has yielded outstanding results this year. From tutoring sessions to STEM programs, our members have not only excelled in their studies but have also developed a love for learning. We are thrilled to report an increase in grade averages and a growing enthusiasm for educational pursuits. This accomplishment is a testament to the hard work of both our dedicated staff and the incredible commitment of our members.
Community Engagement: Making a Positive Impact
Boys & Girls Club members have been actively involved in various community service projects throughout the year. From visiting area assisted living facilities to organizing food and school supply drives, our young leaders have demonstrated a deep sense of responsibility and compassion. The impact of their efforts has been felt far beyond our Club walls, fostering a spirit of community and instilling the values of empathy and kindness.
Fine Arts: Unleashing Creativity
This year, our fine arts programs have flourished, providing an outlet for self-expression and fostering creativity among our members. From visual arts to performing arts, our young talents have had the opportunity to showcase their skills and take pride in their artistic accomplishments. The arts not only allow for personal growth but also help build confidence and encourage teamwork among our members.
Looking Ahead: New Initiatives for a Bright Future
As we turn the page to a new year, we are excited to announce several initiatives that will further enrich the Boys & Girls Club experience:
College, Career, and Technical Education Programming for Teens:
College, Career and Technical Education programming is vital for equipping youth with the skills needed for the workforce, aligning education with industry needs, and providing diverse pathways to success, ultimately contributing to individual and community prosperity. We are excited to enhance our Culinary Arts Career Training program and look to add industry and career exploration opportunities for teen Club members as they develop their personal path post-high school.
Youth Leadership Development:
Building on the success of our community engagement projects, we will be launching additional youth leadership development programs including a Junior Men of Initiative program and a Junior Youth of the Year. These initiatives aim to empower our members to become leaders within the Club and in their broader communities.
Opioid Prevention Programming:
Teaming up with the national LEAD (Law Enforcement Against Drugs and Violence) program, Club staff will work alongside deputies with the Collier County Sheriff’s Office to educate members about the risks associated with opioid use before they encounter these substances. Early education can help prevent experimentation and reduce the likelihood of developing substance use disorders. By empowering young individuals with coping mechanisms, decision-making skills, and effective communication strategies, they are better equipped to navigate challenges and resist peer pressure related to drug use.
Enhanced Parent and Guardian Involvement:
We recognize the crucial role parents and guardians play in a child’s development. Therefore, we will be implementing initiatives to enhance communication and involvement, fostering a stronger partnership between families and the Boys & Girls Club.
As we celebrate the achievements of the past year and anticipate the exciting initiatives ahead, we recognize that none of our achievements would be possible without the unwavering support of our Boys & Girls Club community. I would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to our supporters, advocates, Club members and their families, and our dedicated staff. Together, we are creating a positive and enriching environment where every child can thrive. Here’s to a fantastic 2023 and an even brighter future for the Boys & Girls Club of Collier County in the year ahead!
Wishing you all a joyous holiday season and a Happy New Year!
With warmest wishes and gratitude,
Megan McCarthy Beauvais
Megan McCarthy Beauvais
President & CEO
Meet Juan
BOLCH Club Member
Member Since:
2018
Why Boys & Girls Club?
Juan comes from a close-knit family, living with two sisters, two brothers, and his parents. His parents learned about the Club through friends and believed it could help Juan create an expanded network of support to set the stage for success.
Achieving & Succeeding:
Juan is participating in Diplomas to Degrees, Keystone, and Triple Play Daily Challenge—the trifecta of empowerment! His journey with the Club led him to a fulfilling role as a Culinary Youth Worker. This experience equipped him with the tools to pursue a career in the culinary world. He feels he found his purpose at the Club, forging friendships, and leading to self-discovery, as well as academic improvement and scholarship applications. With a current 3.0 GPA, he’s on a path to pursue higher education after high school graduation.
Academics
Our Clubs are dedicated to fostering impactful project-based learning, tailoring activities to be more hands-on and relevant for elementary-aged members. These engaging endeavors not only cultivate creativity but also hone effective communication skills, fostering collaboration within small groups and encouraging diverse perspectives. Our STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) programming thrives across the Clubs. As an example, during our recent STEM Day celebration, members collaborated on building Lego boats to test their buoyancy. This month, our young innovators took flight, exploring the principles of aviation by constructing airplanes.
Seamlessly integrating play-based learning for 3rd – 5th graders, our Club’s Power Hour program creates a dynamic space for elementary and teen members to collaborate. The excitement is palpable as our younger members join their high school peers in engaging activities such as Jeopardy, Pictionary, Tic-Tac-Toe, Lego® block building, and circuit coding. Our Clubs remain focused on providing academic support with special initiatives, including the Immokalee Readers program which provides vital tutoring sessions three times a week, enhancing the reading skills of our members.
Character & Leadership Development
With a focus on communication, elementary-aged members actively practice essential skills such as listening, respect, and empathy. These qualities are vital components of character development, fostering understanding of diverse perspectives and building trust. Our youth are also learning the significance of clear, honest, and transparent communication, which contributes to trust and credibility. These skills are being developed through game exercises including role-playing in ‘Telestrations’ and engaging with the ‘Empathy Toy.’
Middle school members participated in a food drive initiated by our Torch Club, instilling the values of giving back to the community and being active contributors. Simultaneously, the start of the Junior Women of Initiative program at our Nichols Club has connected 15 Boys & Girls Club teens with mentors for bi-weekly interactions, fostering leadership skills.
Now chartered at both our Immokalee and Naples Clubs, the Keystone Club is led by high school members, with guidance from an advisor, and is designed to develop essential soft skills and leadership qualities, including creating an understanding of the importance of community service. Through the member-driven Club, teen participants are actively involved in selecting leaders, creating an annual agenda, and implementing strategies to enhance overall experiences for members. The Club engages in fundraising initiatives, organizes field trips and implements service projects.
Recently, in celebration of World Kindness Day, Bolch Keystone members extended their hospitality to elementary members, inviting them to their “teen room” for a day of organized play-based learning. The teen-elementary interactions proved beneficial in several ways. Teens served as positive role models, fostering peer-to-peer learning. Younger members seemed to find it easy to connect with and learn from their teen peers. This day-long experience helped teens with their communication and leadership skills as they worked with children of varying ages and competencies. The elementary students appreciated the interactions with teens and appeared especially excited to spend the day in the teen room, a space they typically cannot access.
The Arts
November brought a burst of creativity with a Thankful Tree, autumn collages, a Veterans Day tribute, and a variety of turkey-themed projects. Members also worked on pottery projects and were able to design and paint pots for display.
Bolch Art and Dance members are gearing up for the annual Christmas Around the World Parade in Immokalee. Working closely with Ms. Ashley, members actively prepared materials for the club’s float, eager to participate and showcase their experiences to the community.
Meanwhile, our 21st CCLC* elementary members are honing their drawing and 3-D skills through the successful partnership with the United Arts Council.
*The 21st Century Community Learning Center (21st CCLC) initiative is a key component of Boys & Girls Club of Collier County. The Club receives funds from the Florida Department of Education for the 21st Century Community Learning Center initiative to offer programming to at-risk elementary school children (grades K-12) from seven Collier County Public Schools. The program operates 2.5 hours per day, Monday through Friday, throughout the school year (39 weeks) and 10.5 hours per day during school holidays at our Bolch campus in Immokalee.
Health & Life Skills
Recognizing its positive impact, a program focused on sportsmanship engaged members in activities including role-playing games and storytelling. The program’s goal is to instill the values of respect, teamwork, resilience, fair play, healthy competition, and character building through sports. Members actively participated in the traditional Turkey Trot, relays, and collaborative turkey-building activities during the Thanksgiving break to foster teamwork.
Teen members enthusiastically participated in the inaugural ‘Gobble Games,’ a festive competition combining traditional sports with elements of STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) and academics. This event showcased our holistic approach to provide engaging and diverse experiences for our teens.
Sports, Fitness & Recreation
At Boys & Girls Club, interest and participation in athletic programs has grown dramatically.
The Club’s Sports Academy focuses on teaching our members the fundamentals of sports, including baseball, flag football, volleyball, basketball, soccer, and more. After learning the basics, members transition into competitive league play where they have an opportunity to demonstrate their newly acquired skills and showcase their competitive side in a fun, team-oriented setting.
Our Club will also host its inaugural Winter Olympics, giving members a chance to participate in a range of activities and earn medals for their hard work. Separate events will be held at the Nicols and Bolch campuses, and then they will come together for a day to compete head-to-head, with one Club taking home the Winter Cup!
College & Career Readiness
Recently, Keiser University staff members came to our Clubs to host a career workshop, offering invaluable insights for our high school members on resources for their senior year and post-high school endeavors. From college requirements to financial aid, the workshop provided essential information to guide informed decisions. Teens also delved into a personality test, gaining deeper self-awareness to align their unique personalities with future career choices.
In addition, representatives from Junior Achievement of Southwest Florida visited our Teen Centers to deliver a presentation on “Excellence through Ethics.” Members learned the importance of ethics and values in the workplace and in day-to-day life.
This networking fundraiser event will focus on bringing together outstanding women from our community in support of Boys & Girls Club of Collier County. Toast to the Club’s positive impact on our community’s youth while enjoying networking, fine wine, great food, music, and a silent auction. We will welcome approximately 150 savvy women from all over Southwest Florida.
February 1st
at Naples Sailing & Yacht Club
Youth of the Year is Boys & Girls Club of America’s premier recognition program for Club members. Our program is implemented year-round to foster the highest development of young people’s character, personal growth and leadership qualities. Youth of the Year fosters a new generation of leaders, fully prepared to live and lead in a diverse, global and integrated world economy. Each year, stories of outstanding leadership, service, academic excellence and overcoming obstacles have made Youth of the Year the premier leadership and recognition program for Collier County teens.
March 1st
at Royal Poinciana Golf Club
Community Outreach Initiatives
As part of our commitment to fostering community connections, Nichols and Bolch Clubs hosted a special Family Night. This outside-of-regular-hours event featured a delicious Thanksgiving meal, prepared by our Culinary Team, creating an opportunity for families to bond and celebrate at the Club.
In Immokalee, the Bolch Club collaborated with the Harry Chapin Food Bank to provide turkeys to all members’ families. This generous donation allowed our families to enjoy the holiday without the stress of providing meal items.
Also, The D’Ernest Johnson Foundation hosted their annual Turkey Drive and donated 150 turkeys to families of the Immokalee Community, which was distributed at the Bolch Club.
There is still time to make a year-end gift that matters.
Consider making a year-end gift to support Collier County’s young people. Your support allows us to continue this most basic, yet hugely essential piece to providing the best youth development programs possible.