Greetings from the Boys & Girls Clubs of San Antonio!
There was no shortage of holiday cheer this season at the Boys & Girls Clubs of San Antonio! From Christmas parties to Angel Tree gift donations, the month of December was filled with excitement and celebrations. |
Club Members Play Chef for a Day at Hotel Valencia
Ten Boys & Girls Clubs of San Antonio (BGCSA) superstars stepped into the world of haute cuisine when they took part in the annual BGCSA holiday luncheon at the Hotel Valencia's Citrus Restaurant on Dec. 9. Donning monogrammed chef's aprons, the Club members got to chop, peel, grate, sauté,  assemble and present a gourmet holiday lunch in one of downtown's fine dining restaurants.
Under the tutelage of renowned Chef Jeffrey Balfour and his staff, the budding chefs were introduced to gourmet ingredients and cooking techniques. Then, they served their culinary masterpieces to a group of the Boys & Girls Club's Board members and supporters in a four-course meal.
Two members were selected from each of the five San Antonio branches  to participate in the luncheon based on their academic performance, leadership and community service. Luncheon co-sponsor, Aflac Insurance, presented awards and gift cards to the 10 youth in recognition of their valuable contributions. Club members who were selected for this honor are:
· Brian Rodriguez and Serena Orozco (Calderon Branch)
· Corey Jimenez and Elaine Robledo (Crestholme Branch)
· James Johnson and Janaevia Broussard (Candlewood Branch)
· Alejandra Ovalle and Ross Flores (Teen Center)
· Harley Pessina and Christien Broussard (Eastside Branch)
In addition, Hotel Valencia Riverwalk staff presented Club staff with dozens of toys collected in an employee gift drive. The toys were distributed at the Boys & Girls Clubs Children's Christmas parties. |
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Spurs Guard Treats Teens to a Holiday Shopping Spree Christmas came a few days early for five lucky teens from the Candlewood Branch, when Spurs guard George Hill took them out for a shopping spree at Best Buy. Hill gave each tee  n $300 -- and lots of tips on savvy shopping -- on Sunday, Dec. 20. Hill explained his motivation for such a generous generous holiday gesture by saying that he wanted to give the teens something special for the holidays, because he remembers going without presents himself as a youth. Hill grew up in Indianapolis, where he was a Boys & Girls Club member, and some years his family couldn't afford to put presents under the tree. |
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NBA Players Association Sponsors Turkey Giveaway
The NBA Players Association made the holidays a little brighter by giving away turkeys to nearly 500 families at the five BGCSA branch locations on Dec. 23. A total of 200 turkeys were given away at the Eastside Branch, with an additional 70 turkeys at each of the other four branches. The San Antonio Spurs took part in this community event and the Coyote made a special surprise appearance at the Eastside Branch!  | |
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| BE GREAT SA CHALLENGE GRANT |
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If you act now, you can DOUBLE your investment in the Boys & Girls Clubs of San Antonio! The SA YES Foundation has established a $100,000 Challenge Grant on behalf of the BGCSA through the end of March 2010. The SA YES Foundation will match every dollar donated to the Clubs during this period, up to $100,000. Every dollar raised during the Challenge Grant Campaign will DOUBLE hope and opportunity
for our Club members. To give, visit www.BeGreatSA.org or call 210-436-0686. |
| Thank You MetLife!
The MetLife Foundation generously provided the BGCSA with a $10,000 Leverage for Learning Literacy Grant. As a direct result of the grant, BGCSA was able to implement several reading programs at the Calderon Branch, located on the city's West side. These included reading with tutors to at-risk Club members in partnership with the UTSA International Reading Association; providing reading logs to Club families as part of a contest to promote reading during National Family Week; and distributing reading materials to the more than 600 guests who attended the Branch's annual community Thanksgiving Dinner. More than 30 Club members benefited directly from the tutoring and family aspects of the program. These members learned to appreciate the benefits of leisure reading and its positive impact on their performance in school. They understand that reading is a lifelong activity.
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