Boys and Girls Club of The Ozarks

• Home
• About the BGCO
• Contact Us
• Join the Club
• Parents' Page
• Program Information
• News
• Events
• Support the Club
• Club Calendar
• Facility Rental
• Volunteer
• Thrift Store
• Job Opportunities
• e-Newsletter
• Board of Directors

News

Save the Date - the 10th ANNUAL JINGLE BELL GALA will be here soon!

Mark your calendars for the 10th Annual Jingle Bell Gala, Saturday, November 22, 2008 at the Chateau on the Lake! Make plans to help the Club celebrate the holidays in style!

Annual Golf Tournament a Big Success!

Over 150 golfers came out on Friday, July 18, for the Club's Annual Golf Tournament, which was sponsored by Holiday Hills Golf Club & Resort. The day-long event raised $25,108 for the Boys & Girls Club of the Ozarks' after-school and summer programs in Taney and Stone Counties. A big "Thanks" to our Hole-in-One prize sponsor, Branson Collector Car Auction, all of our corporate teams, hole sponsors and participants!

• Tournament Results

Club Benefits from "A Night in the Islands"

The Outback Pub and the Pirates of the Tri-Lakes Parrot Head Club hosted a "Party with a Purpose" on Saturday, July 19, to benefit the Boys & Girls Club of the Ozarks. The evening's theme, "A Night in the Islands" was headlined by the Eric Stone Band with fans – new and old – enjoying boat songs under the stars. This awesome night full of great music resulted in nearly $3,100 in contributions for kids in this community!

Club celebrates Read Across America with Dr. Seuss Birthday Party

Members at the Branson Unit enjoyed a birthday party like none other on Friday (February 29), with cake and punch and time to enjoy reading in honor of Dr. Seuss Day! The event has become an annual celebration for the Club and is one of thousands of such parties across the United States during the 11th Annual Read Across America event, originated by the National Education Association. Club members of all ages were welcome to pair up with at parent or volunteer and enjoy a classic Dr. Seuss book in the Leaning Center. In addition to some faithful community volunteers, the Club was fortunate to partner with Target, who had several employees on hand reading to and with kids for the afternoon. After completing a Dr. Seuss book, Club members and their parents or volunteer were able to enjoy a slice of Seuss-inspired cake and punch and draw to win a door prize which also included a selection of Dr. Seuss book. Says Laci Bainbridge, the Club's Program Director, "We look forward to this event every year because it is a great opportunity for kids and parents to share time together and for everyone - young and old alike - to reconnect with their love of reading." Other activities in honor of Dr. Seuss' 104th birthday are scheduled at the Forsyth Unit on February 7.

Local Parrot Heads Party with a Purpose

Decked out in their signature Hawaiian shirts and laid-back attitudes, the Pirates of the Tri-Lakes - a local Parrot Head Club - hosted a birthday bash for two of its members at the Outback Pub on February 23 and donated the funds raised through a live auction to the Boys & Girls Club of the Ozarks. This "party with a purpose," including Parrot Heads from across the Ozarks and as far away as Oklahoma and central Arkansas, is a great example of the generosity that is always a part of the organization. In 2005, over 2.2 million dollars was raised by Parrot Head Clubs across the United States to benefit a wide range of local and national charitable causes.

Club Teens Enter The World Of Work

On February 18, 23 teens from the Branson and Forsyth Units of the Boys & Girls Club of the Ozarks took part in a job shadowing experience as part of their Education & Career Development Programs. Members participating in the experience have explored educational requirements for various career options through small group conversations and curricula designed by Boys & Girls Clubs of America. In order to put those aspirations into real-life perspective, the teens spent the afternoon "on the job" with local business leaders. The teens were able to talk with and watch physicians, dance instructors, mechanics, coaches, educators and media/broadcast professionals. The job shadowing experiences were made possible through the help of the Branson-Hollister Rotary Club and the Forsyth Chamber of Commerce.

Boys & Girls Club picks Youth of the Year

(The Branson Daily News contributed to this article)

On January 25th the Boys & Girls Club of the Ozarks held its annual Youth of the Year competition where five Club members representing the Branson and Forsyth Units gave speeches and had individual interviews with the panel of judges.

Paige Pettit, a 14-year-old Forsyth eighth grader, was declared the winner. Pettit was chosen based on "participation at the Club, the community, at home, on the First Place character traits and academic performance," said Laura Parramore, Director of Resource Development at the Boys & Girls Club.

"The Boys & Girls Club has been a major part of my life, along with school, home and church," Pettit said in her speech. "The Club has provided me with positive role models, a safe place to be after school and gave me the opportunity to be in programs that I could not have done otherwise."

The other Youth of the Year nominees included Sydney Lowe, of Forsyth, Kyle Bonetti, Victoria Love and Dominic Hasenfratz, all of Branson.

Pettit will travel to Jefferson City in April to compete for state Youth of the Year honors.

Dorris to Lead Forsyth Club

Garry Dorris was recently named Unit Director for the Boys & Girls Club of the Ozarks Forsyth Unit. Dorris, a Southeast Missouri native and Missouri State University grad, brings to the community several years of experience in the youth development field. Most recently, Garry was a Title I specialist for the Liberty Public Schools in Liberty, Missouri but also spent several years in part-time and full-time leadership positions with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Springfield. "We are thrilled to have Garry on board. I know that Garry has a heart for kids and a passion for the Boys & Girls Club mission. He will be a great addition to our team," says Autumn Page, the Club's Executive Director.

Club Members Receive Bicycles
(The Taney County Times contributed to this article)

Fifty Club members were presented with brand new bicycles and helmets this Christmas as a gift from the Titanic Museum Attraction Crew! Selected members at all three Club locations received the bikes, which were given in honor of the 109 children who were aboard the Titanic. Said Autumn Page, Executive Director of the Club, "We are so grateful to everyone at the Titanic for this donation. Thanks to their generosity, this was a Christmas that many of our kids will never forget." Titanic - World's Largest Museum Attraction opened in Branson in April 2006. Owners John Joslyn and Mary Kellogg-Joslyn have created a world-class museum which features hundreds of artifacts from the Titanic as well as personal stories of many of the passengers, interactive components and a beautiful memorial to those who were lost.

Youth Football Program Is A Success

NIKE Factory Store Grand Opening

The new NIKE Factory Store located at the Tanger Outlet Mall in Branson selected the Boys & Girls Club of the Ozarks as the beneficiary of its grand opening event November 10-12. Club members, staff and supporters were on hand for the ribbon-cutting on Saturday and NIKE donated 5% of Sunday's sales to the Club.

THANK YOU TO OUR VIPs!

Boys & Girls Club members spent a Friday afternoon saying thank you to area businesses that participated in its 2007 VIP Corporate Sponsorship Program. The program allows businesses to purchase tickets/admission costs to all of the Club's special events throughout the year in January. In addition, each VIP package included a gift to the Club's "It Just Takes One" annual campaign.

Country Mart Round Up Program A Success

Country Mart donated $4,000 to the Boys & Girls Club of the Ozarks. On hand for the September 21 presentation are, from left, Boys & Girls Club of the Ozarks Board President, Craig Kesner, Board member Margie Berry, Executive Director Autumn Page, Country Mart CEO Kevin Gerard, Board member Tom Schaefer and Branson Jaycees representative Mark Stroud. Cashiers at four Country Mart locations (Branson, Hollister, Forsyth and Branson West) gave customers the opportunity throughout August to round up their purchases to the next whole dollar, with proceeds going to the Boys & Girls Club.

Walk to Fight Childhood Obesity

(Taken from Branson Daily News, October 6, 2007)
Brandon Cone
BDN Staff Writer

The Boys & Girls Club of the Ozarks did its part in the fight against childhood obesity. Members of the Branson Unit staff challenged all the children 11 and older in the after-school program to work together and walk the distance from Branson to Springfield, 36 miles, by taking laps around the gym. If that goal was achieved, members of the Club staff would have to voluntarily dye their hair bright shades and would have to succumb to sitting in a dunk tank while the Club members threw the balls. On Monday afternoon the children achieved both goals by walking a combined 2,528 laps around the gym for a total 140.4 miles. Laci Bainbridge, the Program Director for the Branson Unit, said the challenge comes as part of the lessons the Boys & Girls Club is trying to teach to the youngsters. "Through our programs we're trying to teach our members to make good decisions," Bainbridge said. "We're hoping that after they're finished, they'll say, 'That wasn't as hard as I thought it would be,' and they'll keep exercising." After walking 11 of her laps, seven laps short of a mile, 13-year-old Hailee Caldwell was surprised on how easy it was. "Actually I thought it would be a lot harder," Caldwell said. Twelve-year-old Brandon Armstrong said he was happy that all the walking was done in the gym. "When they said we were walking to Springfield, I thought 'Whoa, that's a long way," Armstrong said. "I'm glad we did it in the gym, on flat ground. All the curves and hills would have been a lot harder."

Day For Kids A Success

On Friday September 14, families had a chance to spend some quality time together, thanks to the Boys & Girls Club of the Ozarks. As part of "Boys & Girls Club Day for Kids," a day set aside just to honor kids, a free event was hosted at the Shirley M. Schaefer Unit, 1460 Bee Creek Road in Branson.

The community was invited to come to the Club for free family activities including a Dragon Bounce House, Laser Games, Bankshot Basketball and more, including free balloons for all the kids. Says Autumn Page, Executive Director of the Boys & Girls Club of the Ozarks, "We are thrilled to be able to provide this opportunity for families to gather at the Boys & Girls Club. The purpose of the Day For Kids is for parents and children to spend meaningful time together, so we are glad to play a part in that."

Todd Wright Featured in The Branson Daily News

(Taken from The Branson Daily News, September 6, 2007)
By Brandon Cone
BDN Staff Writer

Todd Wright is in his second full week as the Boys and Girls Club of the Ozarks' athletic director, and he says it's been "a baptism by fire." Wright started his job in the midst of the sign-up period for youth football, one of the club's most successful programs. He said as of Wednesday morning nearly 250 youngsters in the Tri-Lakes Area had signed up to get some experience of the gridiron. For the last two years Wright has been the head men's basketball coach at his alma mater in Joplin, Messenger College. He also tried his hand at coaching the Lady Eagles volleyball team during the 2006 season. He said the decision to leave the coaching profession was partly made because of a desire to "return home." Wright is a Reeds Spring graduate and his mother, Mrs. Raphael Thompson still teaches choir and music there. He said he also had a desire to work with children. "In this environment, I'm going to be able to make a positive influence on the children here," Wright said. "That's very much the heart of everyone that works here. They can go home and go to sleep knowing they made a positive influence on somebody that day."

Great Cookout for Kids at Summer Fresh Market

On Saturday, September 8 from 10:30 am - 1:30 pm, the Club will host a Great Cookout for Kids at Summer Fresh Market in Kimberling City. Johnsonville Sausage donated brats for the cookout, with other local businesses donating buns, chips and beverages. These brat lunches will be sold for $4 each, with all proceeds benefiting the Club's Reeds Spring School Site. Jeff Wingo, Store Director of Summer Fresh Market was quick to step up to the plate to participate in this event. Wingo participated in sports programs at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Springfield as a youth and knows first-hand the benefits of Club membership. Says Wingo, "Not only was I given the chance to play sports, but I was surrounded by caring adult mentors, who guided along the way." Adds Autumn Page, Executive Director of the Boys & Girls Club of the Ozarks, "Community leaders such as Jeff Wingo are prime examples of how Boys & Girls Clubs work to mold young people into responsible, productive adults. We are proud of our affiliation with Jeff Wingo and Summer Fresh Market."