After our big Halloween Celebration last night, we continued the Halloween fun today as well. Members had the opportunity to decorate wooden Halloween masks with our Theme Director, Laura Reyes.
Once members decorated their wooden masks, Samantha Hausker, our Education Director helped them frost pumpkin shaped sugar cookies. Above are some photos from the day.
On October 30th from 4-7 pm, the Al Lenzmeier West Side Boys & Girls Club hosted their annual Halloween Carnival Party for 200 members and their families.
Members and their families had the opportunity to participate in several carnival games. One of the games offered was called the Guessing Game where they could guess how much candy was in the jar, and the person closest to the actual amount was able to take this home as a prize.
We also had a cake walk where members and their families could win cupcakes and other baked goods. Some of the other carnival games consisted of the witch hat ring toss, the clown bean bag toss, the pumpkin pond, pin the nose on the pumpkin, and mummy bowling.
One of our other features of the night was the West Side Village of Body Parts that was constructed by our members under the direct supervision of our Theme Coordinator, Laura Reyes. It is here where members had the chance to put their hand into the opening of each house and had to guess the body parts for a chance to win some candy.
While our guests played carnival games, we served freshly popped popcorn to our guests. Around 5:30 pm, we announced that a spooky dinner would be served in the cafeteria. Once our guests were seated we served hot dogs and macaroni and cheese to approximately 200 families.
After dinner was finished, our guests had the chance to play Super Bingo for prizes and even have their fortune read by Miss Samantha, our fortune teller. Special coupons were raffled off to guests for a free s'more that they could redeem on the outside patio.
I would like to extend a heart felt thank you to all of the people who made candy donations, as well as all the volunteers who came to help us run our carnival games. We could not have done this without you!
Below is a video presentation of our wondereful event!
In partnership with the After School Alliance, the Al Lenzmeier West Side Boys & Girls Club participated in the Lights On Afterschool Celebration October 23rd from 4-6 pm.
Members had the chance to visit the Girl Scouts of America informational booth and learn how they can have their very own Girl Scouts troop at the club.
Members were also busy practicing their Thanksgiving Play Production in the STARS room. The play will take place at our Thanksgiving Dinner and Awards Ceremony on November 25th. There are eighteen members who have joined this club and they meet twice a week. Members have the opportunity to have active roles in the play, work on set and prop design, or costume design.
We also had our Power Hour and Goals for Graduation programs in session. These programs run from 3:00-5:00 pm daily where members complete their homework and get free tutoring help. Once their homework is completed, members had the chance to participate in additional, engaging literacy stations. Members worked on creating their own colorful light bulb that stated the most important program they participated in while at the club. They also worked on their math skills. Members had the choice between completing a color by addition assignment or practicing their fractions by charting their own name.
Teens were busy signing their Pledge to Graduate From High School through the Taco Bell Initiative and the Keystone Leadership Group ran their weekly meeting where they disscussed how to improve monthly Teen Nights, upcoming Keystone elections scheduled for November 5th, and looked at ways that they can give back to our community.
The Athletic Director, Rudy Lugo, also had the end of the season soccer championship tournament taking place in the gym. While the games were in session, members of our Keystone ran the concession stand selling snacks and Powerade to the participants and guests.
Overall, it was another successful day at the club. If you do not have a membership, please come down and see what we have to offer youth after school. The opportunities are endless.
We are fortunate to have a volunteer who has graciously donated her time and talent in teaching our teens how to play guitar. Each week on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 6-7 pm, teens will be given introductory guitar lessons. We had six participants this week and we look forward to having them perform at our Thanksgiving Dinner and Awards Ceremony on November 25th.
Every week, our members have the chance to participate in the bell choir. Augustana Church has generously donated bells for our bell choir and have been volunteering their time teaching our members the bells. This is their second rehearsal and are preparing for their first performance at our Thanksgiving Dinner and Awards Ceremony on November 25th.
Members were given 20 pieces of spaghetti, a yard of string and some tape and were told to make the tallest structure in a limited amount of time. Members worked hard with their teams to figure out how to do this and were very engaged in this activity. Thank you, Samanatha Hausker, our Education Director for facilitating this woncerful STEM activity.
As our Halloween Carnival Party approaches, our members, under the direct supervision of our Theme Coordinator, Laura Reyes, have been busy constructing our West Side Village which will be on display outside of the club where all members can trick or treat. The villages are coming together very nicely. Great job members!
Today our Keystone Leadership Crew had the opportunity to learn about environmentalism and careers while spending time at the Trout Brook Nature Sanctuary. They learned about the history of this land and the activism that took place by environmentalists and public law makers to advocate against making this a public dumping site.
Once they learned about the history, they went geocaching to learn about environmental issues specific to this area. When they finished, they reconvened as a whole group and shared what they learned.
Next, the Keystone Crew put on goggles, gloves and grabbed saws to help get rid of the buck thorn in the area. They then had the privilege to speak to a few people who work in the field and learn from them what careers are available in the field.
Thank you to Excel Energy and Great River Greening for taking the time to make this field trip so meaningful and feeding us subway.
We have had the great opportunity to employ one of our West Side Club members through the school year. We have been able to give one member a paid position through the city of Saint Paul's Right Track Program.
Lupe Tovalin is a sophomore at Humboldt Senior High and is a role model for others at his school as well as at our West Side Club. Lupe was employed through the Right Track program this summer and worked for Youth Farm.
Lupe has been coming to the club ever since he was a little kid and most days is the first one to make it to the club when school is released each day. He currently has a 4.0 grade point average and is number 1 out of 210 students in his graduating class. He is taking several accelerated classes at Humboldt High school and has one AP Human Geography class this fall. In November, Lupe willl be playing basketball for Humboldt Senior High.
His dedication to the club does not go unnoticed. Lupe is always willing to volunteer his time in service of the club in any way he can. He helps younger members with homework, serves dinner, and helps with light maintinance around the club.
Lupe is also involved in several of the programs we offer at the club. Lupe is a member of our Keystone Leadership Committee who plan all teen nights and service learning projects within the community each month. He is currently in our Passport to Manhood program and has recently completed our Career Launch Program as well.
It is because of his dedication to the club, that we have chosen him as our Junior Staff at the club this fall. Keep up the good work, Lupe. We are proud of you!
Every Monday and Wednesday from 5:30-6:30 pm, our female members aged 13-18 have the opportunity to participate in our Smart Girls program run by our Education Director, Samantha Hausker. Each week girls discuss topics on the effects of bullying, how to become an upstander instead of a bystander, the importance of living healthy, and how to make good decisions.
If you are a female member aged 13-18, please check out this program!
We had the privilege of having one of our banks on the West Side, Affinity Credit Union, come and visit us on October 13 from 2:00-6:00 pm. These six volunteers helped members with their homework as well as created appreciation cards with our members stressing the importance of doing random acts of kindness for others.
The Affinity Credit Union volunteers followed this up by helping our cook in the kitchen with the daily dinner and even passed out Dairy Queen treats to all members. Thank you, Affinity Credit Union for taking the time to impact our members. It was greatly appreciated, and we hope to see you all again soon!
Last week, members had the chance to create art families in the art room with our Theme Coordinator, Laura Reyes. Members used their creativity in creating these families and had a lot of fun doing these. Members used their imaginations in creating these people and even created the clothes they were wearing. If you are in the club, please check these out. They are hanging up in the multi-purpose room.
This past week, under the supervision of our STARS Coordinator, Teria Masterjohn and Samantha Hausker, our Education Director, members had the opportunity to make several different Halloween crafts to decorate our club and get us in the spirit of Hallowen.
Members had the chance to make ghosts. Members were given a paper plate and decorated this by making a face for their ghost. They then were able to take tissue paper and make the body of their ghosts.
The next craft choice was to make a skeleton. The skeleton body was created by using q-tips for bones and gluing these onto a piece of black construction paper.
The members really enjoyed this activity. Above are some pictures with members and their craft creations.
This past weekend all of the staff of the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Twin Cities spent the evening at our For The Kids Fundraising Gala. The night began with a silent auction where those who attended, had the chance to bid on several auction items. The auction items consisted of themed auction baskets centered around sports and fitness, pampering items, items for kids and family, food, wine and chances to sponsor a member at our Voyageur Camp in the summer.
Those in attendance also had the chance to bid on a fully loaded 2014 Indian motorcycle as one of the special featured items.
Once the silent auction was done, attendees had a wonderful dinner and enjoyed entertainment by the Sevilles and some of our Twin Cities Club Kids. We followed this up with a live auction that included travel packages to different destinations.
Thank you to all who supported the Twin Cities Boys and Girls Clubs by making their donations. These contributions are crucial to the operations of our clubs throughout the school year.
Please come and join us in our annual Halloween Celebration Thursday, October 30th from 3-5:30 pm at the West Side Boys and Girls Club. We will be running several Halloween themed carnival games such as the witch hat ring toss, mummy bowling, Halloween bingo, and bean bag toss for prizes.
We will also be creating our West Side Village in the field where members can come and do some trick or treating as well as eat a Halloween themed dinner.
Interested in learning to play guitar and you are a teen between 13-18 years old? We are offering free guitar lessons by our volunteer Meng Xiong who has seven years experience. Please come and speak to Crystal Bieter, the Program Director if interested.
Camp CAMERA, in partnership with the West Side Boys and Girls Club and Macalester College is in their third week of their nine week sessions empowering girls through the art of photography. This week, the girls and the Macalester college interns went on a nature hike from Macalester that led them to the historic Summit Avenue and ended up down at the Mississippi River. Along the hike, the girls took pictures of nature and portraits of people practicing the techniques that they have learned in class.
Once their pictures were taken, we shared these in whole group and discussed the techniques they used to capture each photograph. Great sessions for all who participated. Looking forward to next week.
West Side Boys and Girls Club, with the help of our Keystone Leadership Committee have planned their first monthly Teen Night. October 17th from 6 pm-9pm we have tournaments planned in volleyball and basketball for all teens that choose to participate. Food will be provided.
Not a member? Recruit your friends to come to the club and get a membership for the reduced rate of $2.00 and check out what we have to offer.
Our October Staff of the Month is our membership secretary, Deb Kinsel. Her dedication and commitment to the club does not go unnoticed. She is the first face anyone sees as they enter the club and has a great rapport with staff, members and parents. Being a Westsider for the past 35 years, she understands the importance of community involvement and has proven herself to be a great leader.
She is hard working and dedicated to making sure that all of our data is entered in a timely fashion, and does an excellent job recruiting members for their stay at Voyageur Camp in the summer. Keep up the great work, Deb. You are greatly appreciated!
Brad has been coming to the club ever since he was eight years old. He was the first club kid to complete all of the Tiger basketball leagues here at the West Side Boys and Girls Club. He was an active club member who understands the impact the club can have on youth and has become one of our most reliable and trusted volunteers. He has coached several of our sports leagues here at the club and is currently our STARS soccer coach.
No matter what we need, if it is candy for Halloween or school supplies, he always makes sure that we receive the donations to help our programs and members succeed.
Thank you, Brad for your hard work and dedication to our youth! We greatly appreciate you.
Barry has been volunteering with the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Twin Cities for nearly ten years. His first experience was through Augsburg where he was involved in service learning as a college student.
Once he graduated from college, Barry continued his volunteerism. His first volunteer opportunity brought him to the Jack Cornelius Club in North Minneapolis. From there, he volunteered at the South Side Village as well as our Jerry Gamble Branch, and is now making an impact at the West Side Boys and Girls Club. Throughout his tenure of service, Barry has been one of our most dedicated and trusted volunteers who truly understands the impact one person can make in the lives of youth. He has coached several of our sports leagues including floor hockey, basketball and soccer and even mentors specific youth throughout the year. Barry has also written several grants for our organization that have allowed our members to prosper in our athletic programs as well as in music exploration. It is people like Barry that make a lasting impression on our youth and make the difference in our organization. Thank you for your constant support and impact on our kids. We appreciate everything you do!
Eathan O’Neal has been a club member since this past summer. He is an active member in the STARS room and attends the program almost every day. Eathan is always eager to get involved in whatever activity we have planned each day although he is especially fond of computer time where he plays his favorite game, Minecraft. He always enters and leaves the building with a smile on his face and his positive attitude is uplifting to both the staff and his peers. Eathan is a 1st grader this year at Monroe Elementary. His goal for this school year is to learn to count to 100 and he is always excited about practicing to achieve this! We are delighted to have him here as a member at our West Side Boys and Girls Club.
Emma Hall
Emma Hall is an amazing member of the STARS Program. She comes each day, excited to be here to learn and play with the other club members. She has been a leader in the STARS room and is always the first to offer any help, whether it be to another member on their homework or cleaning up around the club. Emma comes each day and takes out her homework without being asked and gets right to it! She is doing well in school this year and has been excelling in spelling. She follows directions easily and is extremely polite. Emma is a joy to have around and role model for the younger members of our club!
Alex Taylor Alex Taylor has been doing a wonderful job in the education room. He participates in Power Hour every day. As soon as he comes to the club, he pulls his homework out and completes it right away. Alex is very smart and asks for help with his homework when he needs it. He is very focused and driven to achieve high remarks in school. He also participates in the activities we have going on in the room. He devised his own healthy meal, containing all the requirements according to the Choose My Plate guidelines. Alex is a wonderful joy to have in the education room and his drive for success encourages other members in the club to be successful as well.
Giovanni Alonso Gio is a wonderful addition to have in the education room. This past week he has been working on his packet of homework every day, working to complete it. Gio also does extra sheets of homework during Power Hour to get ahead of his homework schedule. He earns tickets to win a bike every day and works hard, while having fun to earn them. Recently he devised a healthy meal, according to the Choose My Plate guidelines. The other day he completed an activity where he had to create his own monster, Clumsy. He came up with details about the monsters living habits and behaviors. Gio has been working very hard in the education room and doing a great job.
Yesterday we had the privilege to have a local Minneapolis musician from the University of MN come to our club. Local rapper Shawn Lyricz came to share his music, pass out CD's and teach members about the process of making music. Thank you for taking the time to come and see us!
Today was our second week of Camp CAMERA at Macalester College. The female members learned some photogaphy techniques and then took their cameras out around campus applying the techniques they learned.
Once their photos were taken, these pictures were uploaded onto the projector where the group shared what they liked about each photo. After eating pizza, they passed around a beach ball that had different questions on it. If you caught the ball, wherever your right thumb was placed was the question you needed to answer. This was a great get to know you activity and end to our session.
Thank you to Max Guttman, our volunteer student coordinator at Macalester, and your dedicated college students who volunteer their time to make an impact on youth.
In preparation of our annual Halloween Party at the West Side Boys and Girls Club, we are looking for people or organizations that are willing to donate candy to our club. This has always been a popular event with 300-500 people coming through our doors for a night of fun that includes trick or treating and a haunted house.
Please clik on the link for access to the donation letter: Donation Letter
If you or your organization is able to donate candy to our club, please let us know. We appreciate it very much!
This month, we have been continuing our Bikes for Academic Success at the West Side Boys and Girls Club. To be eligible for the Friday Bike Falle, members in the Education Center and the STARS room who complete their homework each week, receive a ticket for a chance to win a brand new bike.
Congratulations to our weekly winners: Jaylynn, Christina and Mario. Keep up your hard work and dedication to your academics!
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