Author: Sarah Durham

On Saturday, November 4th, teens from across Washington gathered at the Downtown Bellevue Clubhouse for the annual WA State Keystone Summit.

The 2023 WA State and Pacific Region Youth of the Year Dalilah opened the Summit by sharing her experience and introducing Tyler Monk, of The Underdog Mentality (TUM), and his keynote speech about persevering through obstacles. Summit participants attended a range of workshops on topics such as mental health, gun safety, career preparedness and leadership. The day ended with teens signing up to become pen pals with their fellow Club members from Boys & Girls Clubs of Maui by writing messages of friendship and support. For some, it was the first time they had written a letter! We’re so grateful for the turnout we had–there were nearly 200 youth and staff members in attendance. Thank you for making this year’s Keystone Summit a success! And thank you to our sponsors for supporting us so we could provide one!

As a staff and kid favorite annual tradition, Amerigroup of Washington sponsored the 2023 Holiday Happiness Card Contest.

Club members from across the state sent in well over a hundred entries. We had so many great, talented contenders this year! It was difficult deciding on only 3 winners but in the end, Amerigroup chose Juliette from Teen Turf Club of Boys & Girls Clubs of Southwest Washington as the 1st Place winner, Julie of Wallingford Club of the Boys & Girls Clubs of King County as 2nd Place winner, and Xochtli, of Bangor Litehouse School Age Care of Naval Base Kitsap as 3rd Place. Congratulations to the winners and thank you to all who entered!

Pearle P., of Boys & Girls Clubs of the Olympic Peninsula, a 2021 and 2022 WA State Youth of the Year finalist, had the time of her life at the end of October singing the National Anthem during Game 2 of the World Series.

Pearle performed the National Anthem and wowed a crowd of over a million viewers watching at home and in the stands. Click here to watch a video of her performance.

Dalilah F., of Boys & Girls Clubs of Benton and Franklin Counties, the 2023 Pacific Region Youth of the Year, traveled to New York City in October for the 2023 National Youth of the Year competition. Dalilah saw the sights of the Big Apple and met the other regional finalists before giving her speech in front of a panel of judges. Alejandra of Boys & Girls Clubs of McAllen won the 2023 National Youth of the Year title but we are proud to have Dalilah represent our state and the Pacific region.

Eleven Boys & Girls Club organizations throughout WA administered a recent survey connecting with parents and caregivers of our Club members.

466 individuals provided feedback to the Clubs this year, and they overwhelmingly affirmed to WA Clubs how much they value and appreciate our work! 

95% of respondents said that the Club plays an important role in their family’s life and 96% reported that their child enjoys coming to the Club. 93% of caregivers believe Clubs play an important role in preparing their child for the future, and 85% see the Clubs positively influencing kids’ and teens’ social skills. Parents ranked the Clubs highly as a safe place to be after school, a place where their children learn how to process their emotions and gain confidence. Nearly a half of Club families have turned to Club for support at some point of their Club experience!  

Summer is here! But there is no slowing down for Clubs across our state.

As we like to say, “When school’s out, Club’s in!” June, July and August are often the busiest times of year for our organizations. Almost all Clubs spend the season offering weeklong camps, many of which are open morning until evening and are packed full of activities for youth and teens. Club staff organize STEM and art activities, field trips, sports, fun competitions, and guest speakers. Summer camps at Club also provide youth meals, academic enrichment opportunities and college and career readiness programming. We are extremely thankful for all our Club staff who work diligently all summer long to help Washington state youth stay engaged, entertained, educated, and nourished through the summer months!