HELP CREATE
GREAT FUTURES
FOR AMERICA’S KIDS
At the Boys & Girls Club, we serve with one mission: to empower all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as responsible, caring, productive citizens.
You can play a critical role in shaping the lives of our community’s young people. Now more than ever, you can help ensure our youth receive the support they need to grow and thrive. Your donation will help us continue to welcome and inspire the children of Fredericksburg to learn and grow in a safe and positive place.
1 in 5 kids won’t graduate.
3 out of 10 kids are obese or overweight.
1 in 5 American kids live in poverty.
DID YOU KNOW?
WHEN SCHOOL’S OUT, CLUBS ARE IN
To improve the outlook of our nation, we must redefine the opportunity equation:
School + Out-of-School = Great Futures
What happens during the hours between school and home can have a dramatic impact on kids’ futures. By providing access to positive and productive after school and summer programs as well as caring adult mentors, we can help the most negative trends facing our youth and our country, including graduation rates, obesity and violence.
YOUTH OF THE YEAR
THE PATH TO A GREAT FUTURE
2023
Isabella
BOYS & GIRLS CLUB OF FREDERICKSBURG
FEATURED YOUTH
Isabella is almost 12 years old and has been a member of the Boys & Girls Club for nearly half of her life! Currently in the 6th grade at Fredericksburg Middle School, she enjoys history class the most. She loves learning about historic events, wars and battles and the impact those events have had on our modern society. Inspired by people that help others, she hopes to do the same in her future career, or perhaps become a singer. Isabella is often found singing littles songs around the club or dancing with her friends. In her free time outside of Club, Isabella enjoys playing video games, talking with her friends over the phone, getting her nails done with her mom and taking care of her pet bluebird named Grape. Family is very important to her. She comes from Mexican and Honduran ancestry and is proud of her heritage and culture. Isabella has one older sister that lives in Florida. She wishes they lived closer so they could spend more time together and so she could play with her 3 nephews. Isabella is part of our older group - the leaders of the Club. Because of her demonstrated responsibility and maturity, Isabella was nominated by staff to join an excursion to a sponsored class at Hill Country Blacksmithing last summer. Isabella and 3 other members spent the day forging their very own ornamental swords. She said it was such a cool experience and it’s something she doesn’t think she would have been able to do without the Boys and Girls Club. Isabella is an absolute pleasure to have in our Club, a gentle leader, exceptionally kind and smart. There is no doubt that her future is going to be bright. We are proud to call her our Youth of the Year.
Liam
BOYS & GIRLS CLUB OF COMFORT
FEATURED YOUTH
Liam began attending Club in 2017 when he was just 6 years old. He joined Club with a big smile and a huge heart! Since the moment he first stepped foot through our doors, Liam has embraced all of the Club’s values as he participated in Afterschool Program, Summer Program and volunteering in Club community service projects to Club fundraising events. From the very beginning, Liam actively encouraged and aided his peers. Now that he is a little bit older, and a little bit wiser, he can be seen helping younger members with their homework or with activities. Liam himself has enjoyed all the programs over the years and enjoys getting others involved as well. He also likes taking what he has learned at Club and incorporating it into his day-to-day. Here is an example of just that; While at school one afternoon, Liam was playing a game with a group of classmates during recess. This is when another classmate, who is also a youth member/friend at Club, was confronted by the other young men playing the game. They were trying to exclude him from the game. Liam knew this was not okay and went into action. He immediately asked them to please stop as he stood in front of his friend. He told them what they were trying to do was not okay and was bullying. Liam used what he has learned about bullying to make sure his fellow youth member was treated fairly. He encouraged his friend to walk away with him. Liam has taken what he has learned from Club’s anti-bullying programs and activities, along with what he has learned from his family, to take a stand against bullying. Liam is driven by his values and his honest heart, and it shows in everything he does. We have had the joy of watching Liam grow from this little guy in our littles group to now a Youth of the Year going into middle school next year. We know he will continue to be that shining star, great friend, wonderful youth member and a role model in Club, and at school.
Michael
BOYS & GIRLS CLUB OF FREDERICKSBURG
FEATURED YOUTH
Michael is 11 years old and has been a member of Boys and Girls Club for nearly 6 years. He currently attends Fredericksburg Middle school where his favorite subject is math. Michael prides himself on being quite mathematical and likes to view the world from a technical angle. When he grows up, he wants to be a lawyer. He’s always wanted to help people and is a true believer in justice. Michael says his favorite thing about our Boys and Girls club is that he loves being able to make new friends! Michael also plays the French horn and even shares his musical talents with other members of the club. Since Michael is one of our older members, our younger ones often ask him about being a part of band and what middle school is like and he enthusiastically shares advice and encourages them. For fun, Michael likes to play Four Square, be outside, or sometimes, he simply enjoys sitting and talking. He also loves playing with his pets. He has a cat, Skittle, but he rarely calls her that because she only responds to “Kitty” or “Momma”. She is 20 years old! He has a playful dog named Ella who is 19, but still active. Michael also has a bearded dragon named Apollo. He loves all his pets very much. Here at the Boys and Girls Club, Michael is part of our older group. During this Spring Semester, our Ancient Civilizations curriculum showcases cultures and societies from history that made a lasting impact. For our Ancient Japan week, Michael and his club classmates worked together to assemble an irrigation system much like the ones used to cultivate rice crops. Michael is a kind, intelligent, and humble leader. We are so proud of him and are delighted to call him our Youth of the Year.