Please join us on Monday, August 31, 2015 for our annual golf tournament in memory of Denis L. Maher, one of our organization’s founders. The tournament will be held Monday, August 31, 2015 at Kernwood Country Club. To register, view sponsorship opportunities and learn more visit www.DLMaherGolf.com! Hope to see you on the course!
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Before the Bell Wins Honor Award!
The James L. McKeown Boys & Girls Club of Woburn received an Honor Award for Health & Life Skills at Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s 109th National Conference held recently in Chicago. The organization received a $5,000 award from MetLife Foundation, sponsor of the annual recognition program, which honors local Clubs for innovative, effective programming leading youth to great futures.
Before the Bell is a collaborative initiative between the Boys & Girls Club, Woburn Memorial High School and the Shamrock Elementary School. High school students enroll in a Physical Education Leadership course each semester. Five mornings per week, they spend their first period of the day at the Shamrock School engaging the elementary students in physical activities. At the conclusion of the fitness program, the older and younger students sit together and enjoy the school’s universal healthy breakfast.
“The success of the program is a direct result of the true partnership between the schools and the Club,” said Julie Gage, Executive Director of the Jamie McKeown Boys & Girls Club. Before the Bell is mutually beneficial for both age groups. Younger members are getting a healthy start to their day in a safe environment and older members are gaining importnat leadership skills as they serve as mentors to the younger kids.
This is the fourth time in the Club’s history that it has received a national program award from Boys & Girls Clubs of America. Past awards include:
2007 – Merit Award in Character & Leadership Development for the Woburn Youth Council program
2008 – Honor Award in Sports, Fitness & Recreation for the Striking Circle Girls Field Hockey program
2009 – Merit Award in Health & Life Skills for the Club Chefs program
2015 PFC Joseph L. Drew Youth of the Year
The James L. McKeown Boys & Girls Club of Woburn is proud to announce that Calvin Knowles has been named the 2015 PFC Joseph L. Drew Youth of the Year. Calvin has been a member of the Club since a young age when he joined the Project Learn afterschool program at the Linscott Elementary School. He recently graduated from Woburn Memorial High School and will begin his studies at the University of Connecticut in the fall.
Calvin is a leader in the Club in so many different ways. He is a reliable member of both the Intrepid Keystone Club and the Junior Staff. This year, he started a program with his fellow Keystoners called Gemstones to engage younger Club members in service and leadership activities.
When asked about what the Club means to him Calvin says, “I have always felt accepted, safe and loved at the Club, which is why I consider it to be my home. Through every change in my life, only one thing has remained constant: the Club.”
Calvin went on to represent our Club at the Massachusetts Youth of the Year competition in May. The judging took place at the State House in Boston where he placed in the top four candidates from across the Commonwealth. Our Club is so proud of Calvin for all of his accomplishments and achievements. His great future started here!
National Keystone Club of the Year!
In April of 2015, ten members of the Intrepid Keystone Club traveled to Orlando, Florida for the National Keystone Conference. There, they gathered with more than 1,600 teen leaders from across the country and around the globe. While at the conference, the Intrepid Keystone Club was named the National Keystone Club of the Year. They were named the very best Keystone program from across the entire Boys & Girls Club movement. Also, our teens were awarded a $1,000 Innovators Grant that will allow them to continue their work the Gemstones program, a new initiative that they began this year to engage younger children in service and leadership.
The Intrepid Keystone Club is a group of 30 high school students at the Jamie McKeown Boys & Girls Club who are interested and invested in leadership and service. The group meets weekly and plans a number of programs and activities throughout the year focused on four key areas: Academic Success, Career Preparation, Community Service, and Teen Outreach. The group’s advisor, Meg Gambale, says “We are so proud of our teen leaders. They dedicate themselves to the Boys & Girls Club, their community, and their schoolwork all year long. It’s great to see them recognized at the national level for all of their hard work.”
2014 PFC Joseph L. Drew Youth of the Year Award
Congratulations, Andrew Winston! Andrew was named this year’s Youth of the Year for the Boys & Girls Club of Woburn. He is currently a junior at Northeast Regional Vocational High School in Wakefield, MA where he is studying dental assisting. He is also a member of the Intrepid Keystone Club and the Jr. Staff at the Club. Andrew also advanced to become a finalist at the Massachusetts Youth of the Year competition this spring. We are so proud of all of his accomplishments.
His GREAT FUTURE STARTED HERE!
After the Cameras Leave
Club Teens Support Joplin, MS
The Intrepid Keystone Club of the Boys & Girls Club of Woburn recently volunteered with Rebuild Joplin as part of their “After the Cameras Leave” project. The project is a national initiative to encourage youth to raise awareness for areas affected by disaster even after the media has left and they are no longer part of national news headlines. On May 22, 2011 a tornado ripped through Joplin, Missouri leaving 3 million square feet of debris and 9,200 citizens essentially homeless. Upon hearing of this devastation, the teens spent the year fundraising for a service trip to help support the rebuilding efforts that are ongoing almost a year and a half after the storm. To date over 144,000 people have volunteered 877,000 hours to these efforts. Six teen members of the Keystone program volunteered with Rebuild Joplin projects that ranged from cleaning out a home to preparing three foundations for new homes. Members saw firsthand the long term effects of natural disasters and that the impact of volunteers can make all the difference.