The Boys & Girls Club of Alpena is honored to, once again, be selected as one of this year’s participating Giving Tuesday organizations!

Thanks to the Community Foundation for Northeast Michigan (CFNEM) and our amazing community, the Boys & Girls Club received over $8,400 in donations during last year’s 24-hour online fundraising event. A Giving Tuesday record for us! These funds were, in part, utilized to supplement our food program that helped serve over 8,600 meals in FY18. For some of our members, the meal they receive here at the Club every day may be the only one they get. That is why these funds are so critically important to what we do.

This year, we’ve set our goal at $9,000 and we’re going to need the support of our incredible community to help us get there. Please visit www.cfnem.org/givingtuesday on Tuesday, November 27th from 12:00 am – 11:59 pm to make an online donation to the Boys & Girls Club of Alpena to help us reach our goal.

Thank you for your continued support!

Just scroll until you see the Boys and Girls Club of Alpena's logo and name, click on “Give Now”, and make your donation online. It’s as simple as that! Be sure to give between 12 a.m. and 11:59 p.m. on November 27.

About US

Who we are

Year Round Youth Serving Organization serving youth 6-18 years of age.

74% of members ages 12 to 17 who attend the Club regularly say they earn mostly As and Bs, compared with 67% of youth nationally. According to BGCA youth outcome data

Making a Difference

Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s research shows that young people who attend a Club regularly tend to do better than their peers nationally. For instance:

68% of Club 12th graders volunteer at least once per month, compared with 39% of 12th graders nationally
90% of Club ninth graders report abstaining from drinking alcohol in the past 30 days, compared with 77% of ninth graders nationally
31% of Club girls ages 12 to 15 are physically active every day, compared with 23% of girls in the same age range nationally

A comparison of NYOI and National Survey on Drug Use and Health data suggests that low-income, regularly attending Club members ages 12 to 17 outperform their peers nationally on school grades. About three-quarters of these Club members report earning mostly As and Bs in school, compared with 67 percent of youth nationally

Five Core Program Areas

The Five Core Program Areas provide a framework for programming in Boys & Girls Clubs. The Clubs have many different programs for boys and girls who have a variety of interests and needs. The core areas are:

Character and Leadership Development:

Empowers youth to support and influence their Club and community, to sustain meaningful relationships with others, to develop a positive self-image, to participate in the democratic process and to respect their own cultural identities as well as those of others. Examples: Keystone Club, Torch Club, Youth of the Year, leadership training, community service projects, youth councils, etc.

Education and Career Development :

Enable youth to become proficient in basic educational disciplines, to apply learning to everyday situations and to embrace technology to achieve success in a career. Examples: Power Hour, homework help, The Ultimate Journey, tutoring, and Project Learn. Examples: puzzles, educational games (Scrabble, Trivial Pursuit), motivational reading programs, Kidz Lit, keyboard skills and Internet exploration. The quality of life can be improved by using computer technology.

Vision, Mission, and Strategy

Mission:

To enable and inspire all young people, especially those that need us most, to realize their full potential as productive, caring and responsible citizens.

Our Vision:

To provide a world class Club Experience that assures success is within reach of every young person who enters our doors, with all members on track to graduate from high school with a plan for the future, demonstrating good character and citizenship, and living a healthy lifestyle.

Our Strategy:

Boys & Girls Clubs subscribe to the theory that programs should provide youth with a Sense of Belonging, a Sense of Usefulness, a Sense of Competence, and a Sense of Power or Influence. When this has been established, the self-esteem of youth will be enhanced.

Our History:

The Boys and Girls Club of Alpena has been serving the youth in Alpena since 1926. Currently, we serve over 1200 youth annually in the community through a diverse range of programming and outreach efforts designed to align and fulfill our mission. The mission of the Boys and Girls Club of Alpena is:

“To inspire and enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to realize their full potential as productive, caring and responsible citizens.”

The Boys and Girls Club of Alpena is a year round non-profit 501 (c) 3 organization. We focus on the school year and summer programming for youth ages 6-18 years old. Our average daily attendance is 115 youth/day between our two sites. The two sites are the Lanny Kingsbury Center (Main Site) located at 601 River Street and the Alpena High School Wildcat Unit/VolunTeen Center located at the High School 3303 S. Third Street.

Our Impact

Our Approach:

In our community boys and girls of all ages are left to find their own recreation and companionship during their discretionary time after school and during the summer hours. During this time youth are subjected to peer pressure and unhealthy life choices. That’s where the Club steps in. We facilitate a place for youth to grow and thrive all while being surrounded by a caring, well-trained, professional staff that assists youth looking for positive ways to spend their time. An increasing number of children are at home with no adult care or supervision. Young people need to know that someone is there to support them and help guide them in the right direction through a caring relationship and supportive environment.

In today’s world, young people are faced with enormous challenges-from poverty to the high school dropout crisis to an obesity epidemic to racial injustice-that threaten their chance to have great futures. And, unfortunately, headlines remind us every day that we live in a dangerous world that puts too many young people, our community’s most precious resource, at serious risk.

Given these realities, we must be ever vigilant in ensuring that our Club is a safe haven for youth, staffed by trained and caring adult mentors who have the best interest of the youth at the core of what they do and believe in. While child safety has been a priority for the Club throughout our history, our work in this area is never done. The Boys and Girls Club of Alpena is committed to helping provide a safe and secure experience for youth.

Academics and Career Development

Developing Globally Competitive Graduates

These programs are designed to ensure that all Club members graduate from high school on time, ready for a post-secondary education and a 21st-century career.

Participants in the Project Learn program missed 87% fewer school days when compared with non-Club youth.

2016 National Youth Outcomes Report

Advancing Education

"The Club provided a positive atmosphere for me to learn and grow with a strong focus on education. They offered me opportunities to learn about different careers and professions. They encouraged me to go to school and graduate with the best grades so I could achieve my dreams."

– Daniela, 18, former Boys and Girls Club of Alpena member

Daniela is now enrolled in the College of Engineering at Michigan Tech on a full four-year scholarship. Fortunately, Boys & Girls Clubs has seen many Club members walk through our doors as children and leave our Clubs as young adults to pursue higher education in colleges and universities across the country. Our combination of educational and career oriented programs coupled with the constant warmth and encouragement of our trained professionals motivates members to keep the books open past 3 p. m. to pursue their dreams.

Please help us Make a Difference in helping young people stay in school and stay focused on their futures.

CareerLaunch encourages Club members ages 13 to 18 to assess their skills and interests, explore careers, make sound educational decisions and prepare to join our nation's work force. CareerLaunch provides Club teens, staff and volunteers with online career exploration, college and job search information and interactive activities. Mentoring, job shadowing, and training opportunities round out the program.

Age 13+

diplomas2Degrees (d2D), a college readiness program, provides a range of services to guide Club members as they work toward high school graduation and prepare for post-secondary education and career success.

All Ages

Summer Brain Gain is comprised of one-week modules with fun, themed activities for elementary school, middle school and high school students that are aligned with common core anchor standards. In addition, Summer Brain Gain: Read!, a literacy program, complements the larger Summer Brain Gain curriculum.

Age 9-12

DIY STEM is a hands-on, activity-based STEM curriculum which connects youth to science themes they encounter regularly.

All Ages

Project Learn reinforces the academic enrichment and school engagement of young people during the time they spend at the Club.

Age 13-18

Junior Staff is a small-group program that is both practical and user-friendly. It assists Club members ages 13 to 18 in exploring a career in youth or human services, particularly Boys & Girls Club work.

Age 13-18

Money Matters promotes financial responsibility and independence among Club members ages 13 to 18. Participants learn how to manage a checking account, create a budget, save and invest, start small businesses and pay for college.

Age 6-18

Power Hour: Making Minutes Count provides Club professionals with the strategies, activities, resources, and information to create an engaging homework help and tutoring program that encourages Club members of every age to become self-directed learners.