Friday Post

This week was our annual Steak & Steak Dinner and Silent Auction, and what a night it was! All of our best donors and our best Club members came together for a "magical evening", as Dr. Perry described it. Everyone seemed to have enjoyed themselves, and the Development Team deemed the night as a huge success. Another huge thank-you to Citi for hosting the wonderful event. We coulnd't have done it without you! Here are some pictures from the evening.

Joesph, our Youth of the Year recipient and another Club member.

Thanks again to all of the amazing donors! Because of you, these children have a safe place to go after school and can continue to be the best person they can be.

Great futures CONTINUE to start here.

-Christy, Development Intern.

Friday Post

It's hard to believe that we are just FOUR days away from our Steak & Steak Dinner and Silent Auction! All of our months of hard work and planning are finally going to be put to action, and we are all so excited for the wonderful event. We are all scrambling around tying up the loose ends to ensure for a smooth, magical evening with our best donors and best children. For more details, click the link below. We look forward to seeing you all there! In the mean time, have a GREAT weekend!

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Jackie-Joyner-Kersee-at-2012-Steak---Steak.html?soid=1103416423421&aid=Y7Wo02RWpcI

-Christy Goodman, Development Intern

Friday Post

First and foremost, I'd like to start today's blog entry off with saying that all of our thoughts are with the vistims and anyone who has been affected by Hurricane Sandy up in New Jersey, New York, and all of the surrounding areas. When tragedy strikes it is so disheartening to see the damage, but also so uplifting to see everyone come together as one and help each other out. We wish everyone in the North a speedy recovery, and we will continue to think of them during this difficult time.

On a lighter note, another week has gone by here at the main office of the Boys & Girls Club of Northeast Florida. With the holidays fast approaching, the development team and I have been busy at work scrambling to get all of the upcoming events organized. First up is our Steak & Steak Dinner and Silent Auction. We are so excited to have our best donors and best Boys & Girls Club members come together for a wonderful dinner. This event takes place on Tuesday, November 13 (less than two weeks away!) Make sure you have reserved your seat for this exciting event.

I hope you're all taking advantage of this beautiful Fall weather we have been lucky enough to receive! Have a wonderful weekend, and don't forget to BE GREAT!

-Christy Goodman, Development Intern.

School Health Advisory Council Meeting

On Wednesday, October 17, Courtney and I attended the School Health Advisory Councill (S.H.A.C) meeting at the School Board Administration Building downtown. Courtney is the Chair of the Council, and she was gracious enough to take me with her. The meeting consisted different organizations and agencies in Jacksonville that are involved in educating and serving the youth of Jacksonville with information about being healthy and happy. The meeting started off by everyone introducing themselves, stating which agency or organization they represented, and telling everyone something they may not have known about their organization. It was a great turnout and each organization had interesting facts about what they do and who they serve. Agencies such as Hubbard House and the American Lung Association were in attendance with different events they were promoting, as well as people involved in public schools in Jacksonville.

It was great to see so many organizations and individuals who care so deeply about the health and well-being of the children in Jacksonville. What was even more wonderful was to see everyone coming together to collaborate and get the word out about what exactly they were representing and promoting. With so many children struggling with obesity and not being able to get enough exercise or eat healthy, it was nice to see professionals take the reigns with solutions to these problems.

Christy Goodman, Development Intern.

Southside Middle Team Up!

On Tuesday Courtney and I went to visit the  Southside Middle Team Up. I was amazed at all the programs they were able to offer the students that joined the Boys and Girls Club. Jamilla, the program director was nice enough to show us around and introduce to all the members and teachers.Every class room was spread out through out the campus unlike and actual Boys and Girls Club where every classroom is located in a close space.  On Tuesday there were over 125 members present, and I must say it was a little over whelming, but Jamilla had every thing under control. Through this Team Up students are given the opportunity to continue their ESOL instuction beyond the school day. Another unique program at Southside Middle Team Up is the UNF/FIE Precollegiate Connections College Reach-Out Program, where UNF undergraduate students help members build their problem solving skills and generate an interest in learning.  One of the last classrooms we were able to visit was one by the UNF students and they were building bridges using mega blocks and they only had about 20 minutes! It was cool to watch to the UNF students help the students build the bridges. Through budget cuts, Southside Middle no longer has an art program and Jamilla said she makes sure she has her students to create and make art like birdhouses. Courtney and I would like to thank Jamilla and Southside Middle Team Up for allowing us to come out and learn about their Team Up!

-Tracey Development Intern

Friday Post

Is there anything better than a beautiful, Autumn Friday? The staff here at the office is working hard to get off work and enjoy this wonderful day.

This was a very busy week for me here at BGCNF. On Monday, I researched "infographics" so the Development team could pitch together and make one for BGCNF. An infographic is a creative screenshot that has statistics and facts about an organization. It's a fun, different, non-traditional way to show people what your company is all about. I came across great infographics and I am excited to get working on one for BGCNF!

Wednesday, the Development team had our meeting where we all came together to discuss what we are working on and upcoming events. Since the holidays are fast approaching (crazy, right?!) we have a lot of fun and exciting events coming up.

On October 24, the Woodland Acres Club is hosting a haunted house, or "The Insane Asylum". It will be from 5-7 p.m and should be a lot of fun! Come on down and support the Boys & Girls Club of Northeast Florida and have a ghoulish good time! :)

I wish you all a wonderful weekend, make sure you go outside and enjoy this spectacular weather! And as always, BE GREAT!

-Christy Goodman, Development Intern.

Friday Post

Good afternoon, everyone! This week Tracey and I continued our duties as busy little interns at the offices of the Boys & Girls Club of Northeast Florida. On Wednesday, we were lucky enough to accompany our superviser, Courtney, to The Collaborations Summit and Workshop, where local nonprofits gathered to discuss ways to collaborate and grow within the community, and beyond. It was great to meet people who were in similar nonprofits dealing with the youth of today. The day started with a tremendous breakfast and a speech by the keynote speaker, Zachary Tumin, who is a professor at Harvard University. Mr. Tumin's speech was very interesting, filled with funny stories and helpful tips of how each nonprofit could collaborate with others and grow at the same time. All in all, it was a successful day and Tracey and I got to meet a lot of great professionals.

Have a great weekend!

-Christy Goodman, Development Intern.

Friday Post

Time is really flying here at the office of the Boys & Girls Club of Northeast Florida. This week, Tracey and my supervisor, Courtney, came back to the office from an extended medical leave. Everyone here was very happy to see her back, including her eager interns! Today, the whole office including some Program and Unit Directors at some of the local clubs came together for a meeting discussing upcoming events for the month of October. The "United Way" kick-off campaign was the main topic of conversation. Everyone seemed excited and ready to participate. More information on that to come! On behalf of everyone here at BGCNF, we wish you a happy and healthy weekend. Don't forget to "Be Great"!

-Christy Goodman
Development Intern

Friday Post

Another week and month have come to a close here at the Boys & Girls Club of Northeast Florida. On Wednesday, September 26, we had our "Gather Around the Table" event at Brio restaurant in St. Johns Towncenter. 20% of all proceeds that day went towards the Boys and Girls Club of Northeast Florida. Tracey and I got there around 10:30, and the restaurant was packed by 12. Brio is a big, beautiful restaurant and the wait for tables was over 30 minutes! We had a table set up and a few people came over to ask what was going on. We have yet to have the exact numbers in but I can only imagine that the event was a huge success. More information to come!

Today I am visiting my first Boys & Girls Club as an intern. I will be taking pictures and hopefully will get to meet and interact with some members! I'm excited to go and see a normal day at one of the clubs. I will post pictures and write about my experience sometime next week!

Everyone here at the Boys & Girls Club of Northeast Florida wishes you and wonderful weekend, and don't forget to "be great"!

-Christy

SIARA Food & Wine Festival

On Saturday, September 30, the St. Augustine Independent Restaurant Association will host the Third Annual Food & Wine Festival to benefit THE PLAYERS Championship Boys & Girls Club in St. Augustine. This exciting event will celebrate local flare and feature over 100 wines and 18 restaurants on the beautiful grounds of the Council on Aging's River House. At the event, you will have the opportunity to enjoy signature dishes from each of the 18 restaurants and fine wines poured from all over the world, as you enjoy listening to music courtesy of The Mood.

Proceeds from the event will be used to extend programs and services to children in the West St. Augustine community, where our Boys & Girls Club is strategically located. Children in this neighborhood are at a greater risk of poverty, school failure, poor health outcomes and risky behaviors. For the children attending the Club, we offer an array of over forty research-based and field tested programs. Our aim is to not only save these young lives from the deadly alternatives on the streets, but to raise their sights and capabilities toward life at its best. By purchasing your ticket, you are making a significant difference in the life of a child.

To purchase tickets and for more information on this event, visit www.staugustinerestaurants.com/.

Day for Kids 2012

The Day for Kids turned out to be a great success for all of our members, every one had lots of fun! We had volunteers from the Jacksonville Junior League and Citibank come out to help with the event. Once Christy and I finally found the NFL YET club we enjoyed being able to interact with the members of the Boys & Girls Clubs! Christy was able to assist with monitoring one of the bounce houses while I took pictures for a majority of the day. The Day for Kids had activities including bounce houses, fooseball tables, pool tables and face painting. After all those activities, the kids and volunteers were treated to a lunch provided by FireHouse Subs and Panera Bread. For snacks throughout the day the kids were allowed to choose from popcorn, cotton candy, and sno-cones. All of the kids seemed to really enjoy the cotton candy! The members had many visitors through out the day including Jaxson de Ville and Madalyn from the Jacksonville ROAR!  Jaxson de Ville and Madalyn autographed pictures for the kids. I was able to meet Sargent Ruff of the Boys and Girls Clubs, he was a real hit with the kids. Captain Corn was also in attendance and was the DJ in the gymnasium at the NFL YET club! I loved being able to attend this event and interact with all of the members. I was a little surprised by the amount of teens that are members of the clubs, but all of them seemed to have plenty of fun socializing, snacking and playing games in the game room. One of my favorite memories about the Day for Kids was watching, Dr. Perry, the President of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Northeast Florida, dance to the Cupid Shuffle with the memebers! I look forward to my next event with the members of the Boys & Girls Clubs! If you would like to see more pictures from the event you can take a look at our facebook page! Remember you can Be Great with Boys & Girls Clubs!





Friday Post

What a busy week it has been at the Boys & Girls Club of Northeast Florida! Both Tracey and I had events to go to this week where we learned a lot and were introduced to a few people. On Wednesday, I  went to the Association of Fundraising Professionals Program Meeting with our Director of Development, Darby Studderfield. There we listened as David Odahowski from the Eydth Bush Charitable Foundation spoke about morals and ethics within organizations. On Thursday, Tracey attended a 'LinkedIn for Business' class where she took fantastic notes so she could teach all of us here the benefits and features in using LinkedIn. Tomorrow we have the 'Day for Kids' event at The Player's Club. We are all very much looking forward to spending the day with the kids and having fun ourselves.

I hope you all have a great weekend, and don't forget to BE GREAT!

Christy Goodman
Development Intern

Duval County Health Fair

On Friday, September 7, the Boys & Girls Club of Northeast Florida was lucky enough to participate at the Duval County Health Fair at the Schultz Center here in Jacksonville. With other non-profits there, I got to set up a table with brochures, pins, and our national newsleter while answering any and all questions that people had in regards to the Boys & Girls Club and our local clubs in the area. There was a nice turnout and people seemed to be genuinly interested about what BGCNF does, how parents can enroll their children to become members, and information about possibly becoming a volunteer. It was a lot of fun interacting with so many people who appreciate what the Boys & Girls Club does and who wanted to get involved. Here are some pictures I took from the fair.

 



 





Friday Post

Another week and month has come to an end here at the Boys & Girls Club of Northeast Florida. August was very exciting for BGCNF. Tracey and I were graciously welcomed to the office as the new fall interns. So far, we have learned a lot and are very excited for the fun and excitement that September will bring.

September will be a busy month for us here at BGCNF. We have many events and activities that will keep us occupied for the duration of the month. Most important, we have our Day For Kids event on Saturday, September 15! We have already started to prepare for this awesome event. As time goes on, we will post more about the events that are approaching.

Everyone here at BGCNF wishes you a fun, healthy, and safe Labor Day Weekend! Enjoy, and don't forget to "Be Great"!

Fall Begins continued

As Tracey already stated, every new semester brings in new interns to the office of the Boys & Girls Club of Northeast Florida. My name is Christy Goodman, and I am the other intern that was given the wonderful opportunity to learn and work with the BGCNF. I am currently a senior at the University of North Florida and I am majoring in communications with a focus in advertising and minoring in international studies. This is my first internship, and I am excited for the upcoming three months here at the BGCNF.

Like most children, I grew up going to Boys & Girls Clubs with sports teams, groups from school, and more. I have many fond memories from the time I spent there. I am eager to learn about the business side of the BGCNF and sharpen my skills to better myself in a professional manner. I am also excited to visit the local clubs and see all the hardwork that so many people put into the centers. Here's to a busy yet exciting three months!

Fall Begins

Every new semester brings in new interns into the office of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Northeast Florida. My name is Tracey Clifton, and I am one of two interns for this fall semester. I am currently a senior at the Univeristy of North Florida and will be graduating in December. Although this is my last internship before I graduate, I have had two previous internships with U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

From those internships, I learned a lot about patience, but one thing I never got to see was the end result. Through those internships I would constantly try to help the public in finding assistance through housing and other outlets, but I never found out if the information I gave them actually helped or found them a place to live.

I am excited to be an intern with the Boys and Girls Club because I will be able to actually go to the clubs and see differences the Boys and Girls Clubs are making in the lives of over 1,500 young people, at fourteen locations in Duval Nassau, and St. Johns counties.

-Tracey Clifton- Fall 2012 Development Intern

Mark Your Calendar!

 

Join us at Brio Tuscan Grille on Wednesday, September 26, 2012 and support a great cause.

20% of all food sales will benefit Boys & Girls Club of Northeast Florida.

Reservations are recommended.

 To make a reservation, call (904) 807-9960.

We are looking forward to seeing you there! 



Farewell Post

This is my final post as 2012 Summer Development Intern. My time with BGCNF was an extremely valuable learning experience, and I am confident that it prepared me for any future endeavor. The environment in the office was always so welcoming and pleasant, and I enjoyed getting to know everyone there. Many thanks to everyone who assisted me when I had questions, and ultimately helped build my confidence as a public relations professional. Especially to Courtney, Ashley, and Darby- The Development Team. You guys rock, and I hope to stay in contact with you all in the future!

-Holly Wilkerson, 2012 Summer Development Intern

Let's Move Initiative

BGCNF kids at Woodland Relay Day

For those of you who don't know- Michelle Obama started a campaign known as Let's Move, dedicated to solving the challenge of childhood obesity. Here at BGCNF it goes without saying that we have a passion for children and their futures. We do our best to ensure that our club members realize their full potential, and being the health nut that I am, I thought it would be beneficial to shed some light on the importance of living a healthy lifestyle. 

First, let's talk numbers...

Over the past three decades, childhood obesity rates in America have tripled, and today, nearly one in three children in America are overweight or obese. The numbers are even higher in African American and Hispanic communities, where nearly 40% of the children are overweight or obese. If we don't solve this problem, one third of all children born in 2000 or later will suffer from diabetes at some point in their lives. Many others will face chronic obesity-related health problems like heart disease, high blood pressure, cancer, and asthma.

Second, let's take action...

The Let's Move initiative formulated numerous plans to face the challenge of childhood obesity. There's a plan for everyone- a plan for kids, chefs, community leaders, schools, parents, etc. We can all do our parts to support this initiative!   

Video from The First Lady

& finally...

"Let's talk numbers" & Video, courtesy of http://www.letsmove.gov/

Books for Tots

This summer, we partnered with CSX to unroll the pilot Books for Tots literacy program. I had the chance to visit John Love Elementary School and witness the program first-hand. The kids seemed to be very excited to participate, and as soon as I caught a glimpse of one of the books- I was excited!

I remember reading the book Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day as a child- which was probably passed down from my sisters. I'm pretty sure I didn't understand the meaning of the book then- that everyone has bad days, no matter where you are, but I still enjoyed reading the book regardless.

The program focuses on the importance of literacy and will also teach the children valuable lessons. The books, donated by the library, will be checked out and read by the children each week. They will focus on highlighted themes such as "Do the Right Thing," and "Find a Way." CSX volunteers will engage in a reading discussion with the children following the completion of each book. The program runs on Mondays from 11 a.m. to noon through July 23rd.

-Holly, 2012 Summer Development Intern

This is my first blog post for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Northeast Florida. As the Summer Development Intern I have greatly valued my time spent with the organization. We are now easing past the halfway mark of summer, and I cannot believe how fast the time has flown! It seems like just yesterday I took a step into the office...

 After a lot of research on blogging for nonprofits, my supervisor and I came to the conclusion that blogging for our organization had to be done. We hope that you will interact with our updates. More importantly, we hope you enjoy them.

Oh yeah, and she's currently seeking Fall interns...

"The Boys & Girls Clubs of Northeast Florida is looking for a Development Intern for the 2012 Fall semester. This internship combines all aspects from PR to event planning to social media. Please email courtneyw@bgcnf.org for a description. We would love to have you join our team!"