Every day, with the support of the Yellowstone County community we enable more than 400 kids and teens who walk into a Boys & Girls Club to feel safe, grow and flourish. You’ve probably heard the saying, “kids vote with their feet.” So true! We could not be more proud and grateful for your unwavering dedication to doing Whatever It Takes to empower youth.

As we look into 2024, we are determined to keep our promise to our local Club members to help them become their best selves- 88% of our Club members say they can count on the Club when they need a safe, positive environment. Whether it’s offering afterschool snacks, or providing homework help and all the life-shaping programs, our Club members feel seen, heard and encouraged on good and bad days.

Collectively, the organization has three priorities:

• Reestablish the organization’s footprint in the Heights. The doors opened on the Castle Rock Clubhouse in 2005 and prior to the pandemic, was serving an average of 175 Club members daily. The organization has not been able to fully serve the Castle Rock Clubhouse Community since, but beginning January 2024, we are reestablishing our services to Alkali Creek, Eagle Cliff and Sandstone Elementary Schools along with Castle Rock Middle School and Skyview High School.

• The Social and Emotional Wellness (SEW) of Club Staff and Members. Over the last year, our organization has enhanced programming, trainings and resources to better help our staff and members respond to stress, anxieties and conflicts in a resilient manner while building coping mechanisms, calming techniques and improving skills to regulate emotions. However, there is still more to be done. Thanks to a generous local donor, we launched a pilot program at our Lockwood Clubhouse focused on developing a program framework that will provide our Club members with the resources they need to grow and thrive. After the pilot is complete, we hope to have a comprehensive and sustainable program we can replicate across all locations.

• Total Teen Takeover- Serving teens in our community has never been more important than right now. With the increase of juvenile crime in our town, lack of adult and peer connections and anxiety and depression on the rise, our Teens are seeking a safe haven and place to belong. We are thrilled to share that 24% of our current School Year enrollment is Middle and High School students. The Boys & Girls Clubs is focused on teen recruitment and engagement, specifically helping members develop essential life skills, build efficacy, develop their passions and help them build and navigate a plan for their own great future after graduation.

I am extremely proud and grateful for your unwavering dedication to the Club’s mission of enabling all young people, especially those who need us most, to realize their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens. I am appreciative for the steadfast and passionate staff professionals that share their talents with the kids, teens and organization. We can’t do it alone, it is with all of us-investors, volunteers, Club professionals, and community leaders coming together that we are unstoppable! And right now, our local kids and teens need the Boys & Girls Clubs more than ever.

Thank you! I hope your journey with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Yellowstone County continues in 2024 and you know that your help, on any level, makes a difference.