|
|
 |
Breaking News
Savannah Rotary East Provides Kitchen
For Kayton Homes Club
|
| Thanks to the great
efforts and generosity of Savannah Rotary Club
East, the Kayton Homes Unit of the Boys & Girls
Clubs of the Coastal Empire will soon have a brand
new kitchen. The financing of the project was
secured by Rotary East through a grant by Rotary
District 6920 and matched by the local club. The
Kayton Unit, located at the Savannah Housing
Authority's Kayton Homes public housing
neighborhood, serves up to 100 hot meals daily to
members of the Boys & Girls Club through Kids
Cafe, a program partially funded by America's Second
Harvest of Coastal Georgia. The B&GC currently
uses a neighborhood management facility some 200
yards away from the Club for Kids Cafe; the program
will now be housed in the Clubhouse itself. Pamela
Jones, Unit Director for the Club says this is a
tremendous addition, " During times of bad weather,
members and staff would get soaked going from one
facility to the other" she said. "This will keep the
kids and staff together during activity hours,
providing better supervision and a smoother
flow of our critical programs." Vince DelMonte,
B&GC of the Coastal Empire Executive Director
said that the Rotary East project certainly
exemplifies the Rotary Motto of "Service Above
Self." |
********
Boys & Girls Clubs Embraces the Coastal Empire
Savannah, Georgia,
April 19, 2010 The Board of Directors of the Boys & Girls
Clubs of Greater Savannah has voted to change the organization's name to Boys
& Girls Clubs of the Coastal Empire. The change reflects the organization's
vision to reach as many youth as possible in the region. Currently, the Boys
& Girls Clubs of the Coastal Empire has four locations, including the Frank
Callen Boys & Girls Club, Kayton Homes Boys & Girls Club, Tatemville Center
and the Crusader Center, with over 1,300 members.
"Our board made the decision to change our corporate name to embrace all
the communities we intend on serving," said Board President, Philip A.
Cooper.
Each individual unit maintains its building
name, most notably the Frank Callen Boys & Girls Club, which was organized
in 1917 as the Savannah Boys' Club by Mr. Frank Callen, a local probation
officer. In 1922, the Club became a member of the Boys Clubs of America. In
1954, the Charlton St. Club was renamed the Frank Callen Boys Club in memory of
the organization's founder. The Savannah Club was a leader in national efforts
to include girls by accepting girls as members in the early fifties. In keeping
with the National Boys & Girls Club movement, the club officially changed
its name to the Frank Callen Boys & Girls Club in 1992. "The most
recent name change to Boys & Girls Clubs of the Coastal Empire will allow
our organization to utilize a name that represents all of our clubs, while
still allowing each individual club the ability to use the name specific to
their community," said Vincent DelMonte, Executive Director of Boys &
Girls Clubs of the Coastal Empire. "We know there are many kids out there
who need a Boys & Girls Club," DelMonte continues. "For now, our
job is to continue to improve the impact we're having on current members and
those who will become members at new locations to come."
Cooper, "We are proud of our board and
their leadership that has allowed us to reach out to so many community youth.
We are also proud of our staff, who make a difference in the lives of the young
people they work with at the clubs every day. Our focus going forward will be
on setting our members up for success with an emphasis on education and
teaching youth the skills they need to succeed in life." Club facilities
are open every day after school and throughout the summer with programs that
emphasize character and leadership development, the arts, health and life
skills, education and career enhancement and sports, fitness and recreation.
The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Coastal Empire
has played an integral role in the Savannah
community for more than 93 years, providing daily programs and services to more
than 1,300 members each year with the mission "to enable all young people,
especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive,
caring, responsible citizens."
* * * * * * * * * * *
Outstanding Savannah
Teen to Compete for State Youth of the Year Honor
Tamar C. Nowell is a
true example of an extraordinary young man. A mere 14 years old, he has
recently been selected to compete for the Georgia Youth of the Year title, an
honor program of the Boys and Girls Clubs of America (BGCA). The award
recipient will also receive a $1,000 scholarship from the Reader's Digest
Foundation. As Youth of the Year for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Savannah, Nowell is part of an impressive group of Boys & Girls Club
members from across the country recognized by the BGCA for their character,
leadership skills and willingness to give back to the community.
Youth of the Year is the
highest honor a Boys & Girls Club member can receive. The title recognizes
outstanding contributions to a member's family, school, community and Boys
& Girls Club. The Youth of the Year program was founded over 60 years ago
through the generosity of the Reader's Digest Foundation.
Tamar has faced more
challenges in his young life than most of us will ever know. Born into a life
surrounded by crime, poverty and danger, he has risen above those obstacles to
become a leader in his community. He has been a member of The Boys & Girls
Clubs of Greater Savannah, Frank Callen Unit, for ten years and is an honor
roll student at Sol C Johnson High School in Savannah.
"When I think about what the Boys & Girls Club means to me, the first
thing that comes to mind is a second home" said Tamar.
If Tamar wins the state
competition, he will compete for the title of Southeast Region Youth of the
Year and an additional $10,000 scholarship. The five regional winners will then
compete for the title of BGCA's National Youth of the Year, which is awarded in
Washington, D.C., in September. The National Youth of
the Year receives an additional $15,000 college scholarship and is installed by
the President in an Oval Office ceremony.
* * * * * * * * * * *
|
|
Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Savannah Receives Youth Mentoring Program
Grant
Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Savannah is
pleased to announce that the organization has been
selected to receive a $42,500 Youth Mentoring Program
Grant through Boys & Girls Clubs of America and
the Federal Office of Justice Programs. The grant is
funded through the Office of Juvenile Justice and
Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), Office of Justice
Programs, U.S. Department of Justice, and authorized
by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009,
Public Law 111-5 - Job Creation/Preservation.
As a direct result of this grant, paid staff
positions will be created and/or preserved at the Boys
& Girls Clubs of Greater Savannah - Kayton Homes.
The grant stipulates that staff will implement, expand
and enhance at least one approved evidence-based
program that features mentoring elements such as
Project Learn and SMART Moves.
The Kayton Homes Unit is located
in the Kayton Homes Public Housing Neighborhood at
Gwinnett Street and Martin Luther King Boulevard. Over
400 children, ages 6 -18, are members of the Kayton
club, with a average daily attendance of 100. Programs
at Kayton include Sports Fitness & Recreation,
Education & Career Development, Character &
Leadership Development, Health & Lifeskills and
the Arts.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Boys & Girls Club wins City, County and Southeast Georgia District Football Championships
The Frank Callen Boys & Girls Club Football Team (10 and under) finished their 2009 season by winning the
Southeast Georgia District Championship in Waycross on Monday night. Representing the
City of Savannah, the team bested their opponents
from Coffee County by a score of 14-6. Last month,
the team won both the Chatham County Championship and the City of Savannah Championship.
The Frank Callen Boys and Girls Club is a unit of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Savannah. * * * * * * * * * * * Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Savannah's Board of Directors Elects New Officers
The
Board of Directors of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Savannah
recently elected the following officers for the 2010 year:
Philip A.Cooper, President
Julie Dampier Culhane, Vice President
Christopher H. Smith, Treasurer
Kenny Hill, Secretary
The
following board members were re-elected to serve 2-year terms: Barbara
Cortese, Julie Dampier Culhane, Truitt Eavenson, John Herdina, Kenny
Hill, Christopher H. Smith and Vergie Williams.* * * * * * * * * * * |
Staples Donates Christmas Gifts for Boys & Girls Clubs
In late December, members at
all four units of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Savannah received
Christmas gifts from Savannah's
local Staples stores. A donation drive, organized
by the national retailer, raised enough money to provide much needed school supplies
such as notebooks, pens and pencils for each club member, making Christmas a
little brighter for them.
The Boys &
Girls Clubs of Greater Savannah is grateful to Staples for this generous gift. HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL !
|
|
