Blue Door Bulletin | Fall 2018

FALL 2018
EMHS SWINE
WEEK RECIPIENT
PAGE 03
NEW TEEN CENTER
CONSTRUCTION
PAGE 04
LITTLE LIBRARY
NOW OPEN
PAGE 07
Fall 2018
FLIGHT FOR
FUTURES RECAP
PAGE 08
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SWINE WEEK
RECIPIENT
MEMORIAL PARK CLUB
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Oklahoma County is thrilled to be the 2019
Edmond Memorial High School SWINE Week Recipient! Edmond
Memorial’s annual community service project began in 1986 when a
small group of students decided to raise money for a friend in need.
The students approached the principal, who supported the endeavor
and even agreed to kiss a pig. $3,000 was raised, the principal
kissed a pig, and SWINE Week was born. Since its conception, SWINE
Week and EMHS students have raised over $5 million for nonprofits
in central Oklahoma.
On September 28th, students from Edmond Memorial’s student
council came to surprise our staff and announce that BGCOKC will be
the recipient of this year’s SWINE Week. We are absolutely thrilled to
partner with such a wonderful group of students who are dedicated
to helping others. Funds raised from this year’s SWINE Week will
benefit the construction and programming of the new Teen Center
addition. We are so grateful for the passion and dedication Edmond
Memorial students have to helping nonprofits in our community. Stay
tuned for ways to support SWINE Week and BGCOKC!
Fall 2018
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TEEN CENTER
CONSTRUCTION
Progress in the key to achieving goals! We are excited to announce
that we have started renovatons at our Memorial Park Club to
make room for our new Teen Center addition. Part of the larger
Great Futures campaign, the 6,122 square foot Teen Center will
allow us to increase our high school membership by nearly 500!
We currently have a waitlist at all of our Club sites, including
Memorial Park, so this space will allow us to serve more kids,
more often, with greater impact. Designed specifically to serve
teenaged Members, the Center will have its own entrance and
have spaces for music, art, technology, and a large common area
for spending time with mentors and volunteers. We also have
started construction on our new parking lot, which will allow for
increased safety measures including a pick up lane for parents/
guardians. The Teen Center is scheduled for completion sometime
in the Spring of 2019.
For more information regarding our Great Futures Campaign, visit
http://www.bgcokc.org/events/great-futures-campaign.
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Fall 2018
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LITTLE LIBRARY
RIBBON CUTTING
MEMORIAL PARK CLUB
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Oklahoma County is home to a new Little
Library! Thanks to ReadOKC, The Foundation for Oklahoma City Public
Schools, and Commerce Bank, our Members and their families will
be able to both take a book and share a book! Little Libraries help
inspire a love of reading while also building a sense of community.
Through Little Libraries across the country, millions of books are
exchanged each year, increasing access to books for readers of all
ages and backgrounds. Often, children from low-income families do
not have any access to age-appropriate books and consequently,
are more likely to struggle academically than children who grow
up with lots of books in their homes. Little Libraries help bridge
that gap by providing 24/7 access to books! Commerce Bank has
generously offered to help maintain our Little Library.
To celebrate the opening of our Little Library, OKC Mayor David Holt
read O is for Oklahoma to some of our Members and encouraged
them to read at least 20 minutes each day! O is for Oklahoma
holds a special place in our hearts as it was written by some of
our very own Members. Members were also excited to participate
in the ribbon cutting ceremony and help Mayor Holt, Mary Melon
of the Foundation for Oklahoma City Public Schools, and the OKC
Chamber. Thank you to everyone who made this day a huge success!
Fall 2018
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The 4th annual Flight for Futures, presented
by Boeing, was held September 14th at
Wiley Post Airport. The day was filled with
fun, aviation awareness as Members of the
Boys & Girls Club toured Valair Aviation’s
maintenance wing and learned about
different career opportunities in STEM.
The Boeing Company’s young professionals
group also spent time with our Members
helping them create rubber band helicopters
and allowed them to see Boeing’s Space X
aircraft through VR headsets!
Take Cover kept the dance floor lively while
attendees enjoyed tastings from some of
Oklahoma City’s most popular restaurants
and sipped on local beers and spirits. At the
event, BGCOKC and Boeing announced
a new innovative partnership where our
Members will have the opportunity to build,
code, and fly unmanned aerial systems.
The night ended with a drawing for a once
in a lifetime vacation for two! BGCOKC
would like to thank all of the 2018 Flight for
Futures’ sponsors as well as everyone who
was in attendance. Your generosity is greatly
appreciated and helps pave the ways for
great futures for our Members!
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ANNOUNCEMENTS
Monsterfest
Our annual Halloween celebration will be held Tuesday, October 30th at the
Memorial Park Club. Want to help? Drop off pre-packaged candy by October 26th.
Contact LaRissa Conn at lconn@bgcokc.org for more details!
Champions of Youth
Our annual Champions of Youth Celebration will be held March 7, 2019 at the Oklahoma
City Golf & Country Club. This year we will be honoring Christy & Jim Everest with the
Aubrey K. McClendon Lifetime Achievement Award. The Boeing Company is being honored
as our Corporate Champion of Youth.
For sponsorship information, please contact cjohnson@bgcokc.org.
GET INVOLVED
Interested in making a difference in the life of a child?
Volunteering is an essential part of what makes our hearts
beat. We have several ways to get involved whether it be
mentoring, coaching, or teaching a special class, we will
find the perfect fit for you. Please contact our Volunteer
Coordinator, LaRissa Conn, at Lconn@bgcokc.org or
405.602.5711. Make sure to let her know you found her
information in the Blue Door Bulletin. You can check for any
employment opportunities through our website, bgcokc.org.
Fall 2018
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SUMMER RECAP
Mollie Spencer Farm
This summer we were thrilled to be able to take a group of our Members to the Mollie
Spencer Farm in Yukon every week. Formerly known as the Kirkpatrick Family Farm, the
Mollie Spencer Farm aims to serve the community through farm festivals and educational
programming. Throughout their visits, our Members learned from the Farm Manger about
the relationship between donkeys and sheep, helped find eggs in the chicken coop, and
explored the inner workings of a bee hive. They also got to watch the garden grow delicious
summer fruits and vegetables such as tomatoes, squash, peppers, and watermelon! We
are excited to continue our partnership with Mollie Spencer Farm in the months to come.
Photo Credit: Katie Kerr
WRiTE BRAiN
Our Members are now published authors! Thanks to a generous grant provided by the
Sarkeys Foundation, our school sites had the opportunity to participate in a program called
WRiTE BRAiN this summer! WRiTE BRAiN books begin as illustrated, textless books that
are designed to ignite and inspire creativity and imagination in kids. The books help kids
write their own stores and become published authors! WRiTE BRAiN allowed our Members
to work on their literary skills in a fun and creative way while also enhancing their interest
in learning. Afterwards, many of the youth discussed how it pushed them out of their
comfort zone and taught them important values of teamwork such as being respectful of
other people’s opinions.
OSU Engineering Adventure Camp
Who doesn’t love playing with lava and making messes? Our Members had so much fun
participating in Oklahoma State University’s Engineering Adventure Camp. Put on by the
OSU College of Engineering, Architecture, and Technology, the Adventure Camp pairs
students with kids in kindergarten through 5th grade to help teach them about STEM
related topics while also having fun! Our Members had the opportunity to learn about
different careers in Engineering while also building egg drop parachutes, volcanoes, and
LEGO vehicles.
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Fall 2018
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$7.0
$800,000
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Oklahoma County has
announced the public phase of its Great Futures Campaign
to serve more youth, more often, with greater impact. The
Campaign centers around adding a Teen Center space for high
school students at the Memorial Park Boys & Girls Club, 3535
N. Western, sustaining the Club programs in three elementary
schools, enhancing programing at all four Club sites, and
broadening the footprint by adding a fifth Club site.
Campaign Co-Chairs Gene Rainbolt and Mark McCubbin have
announced that the campaign has reached 88% of its $7.8
million goal thanks to 100% of board giving and other generous
lead gifts from individuals and foundations. Initial gifts for the
Great Futures Campaign were made in memory of Aubrey K.
McClendon in recognition of his support of the Boys & Girls
Clubs and many other important causes in the community.
In announcing the public phase of the campaign, the cabinet
wants to encourage broad ranging community support.
TO HELP US REACH OUR GOAL,
CLICK HERE
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