- All right, friends, we're kicking off the program with a little kazoo parade. You might notice you have
- some kazoos on your table. If you would like to join in at your table, you're welcome to, but our kids
- are going to come in and do a little kazooing for us. You might recognize the song, but we'll see how
- this goes.
- Can we get a cheer for our kazoo paraders? Well, welcome to Eat, Thank, Love Luncheon Boys and Girls
- Club family. We are so happy you are here with us.
- I'm Leslie Absher, I'm the CEO of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Bloomington, and I am thrilled to be able
- to invite you today to Eat, Thank, Love. This is my favorite club day of the year. And if you haven't
- noticed, we like to have a little fun around here. We're the Boys and Girls Club, so we really had a
- good time with that kazoo parade, and part of also why we did that kazoo parade, if you'll put that
- picture back up if you can, but we used to do kazoo parades in the 4th of July parade, and this is our
- 70th year anniversary. We opened our doors in 1956.
- year we are celebrating 70 years in Bloomington and so you're gonna see a lot of throwback and a lot
- of yeah excellent I love that we want to we want to honor our history we want to recognize our history
- and we want to celebrate our history and we want to remember what makes the Boys and Girls Club so great
- and that is all of you you all are part of that and so we were excited to do our kazoo parade and you
- might see us
- kazoo parading throughout the community the rest of this year. You'll just have to see. I also want
- to direct your attention to the screen for the next slide. There's an old membership card up on the
- screen. For decades, every child who came to the club has gotten a similar card. This one belonged to
- a dear friend of mine and one of the best supporters of the club that I have ever had the privilege
- of knowing, Jack Eads. It has the name Jackie Eads on it. It was his childhood nickname and his age.
- He was six.
- Jack passed away in 2023 at 70 years old. And all those years, he kept this card. I've got it in my
- office. The club meant the world to Jack. And for so many kids over 70 years, the club has meant and
- does mean the world to them too. And you, whether this is your first time with us or you've been donating
- for most of those 70 years, you provide the support needed to bring the club and the kids in our community
- like little Jackie Eads
- the programming that they need. If you look at your table, you should see a small gift waiting for you.
- It's a replica of this very membership card. And today, this membership card is for you. Whether you've
- donated or volunteered or partnered with us or simply believe in our mission and are here to learn a
- little more about it, we invite you now to be part of the Boys and Girls Club legacy and the history
- of what makes this organization so great. There's a pin on it that is a replica of that exact pin just what
- a little updated logo, but we'll invite you to wear that pin and to show it off around town and help
- us to celebrate the 70 years of Boys and Girls Clubs that we have been able to have over our time. Since
- we're celebrating our birthday, you might have been able to tell they were singing Happy Birthday on
- the kazoos, maybe not. That was a little hard to coordinate with a parade, but that was what we attempted.
- So since it's our birthday, we also want you to join our newly formed birthday club.
- You can scan the QR code in your program. Don't worry, you don't need to give us the year. You can turn
- 39 as many times as you want. We just need the month and the day from you so that we can send you a
- little gift on your birthday. The kids would be happy to send you a little prize for your birthday.
- So we would love for you to join our birthday club. The club is a gift, just like all of you, to this
- great community. And so today we're going to celebrate that. We're going to celebrate the past, and
- we're going to look forward to the future and what lies ahead.
- Before I go any further today, I have some thank yous to do. We know that when you donate to the club,
- you want most of that money, or if not all of that money, to go directly to kids and programs. And so
- we pride ourselves on not spending your money that you donated to thank you for donating. So most of
- this was donated to us, and it didn't cost us anything to put this event on today. And that is only
- possible because of some wonderful people. So I'm going to thank them this morning. So Buffalo Louise
- and Gables Bagels, Ed and Jamie Schwartzman, can we get a round of applause for the Schwartzman?
- So Ed was a past board member and Jamie's a past auxiliary member and we love Nathan and Nancy and James
- and the whole crew over there at Buffalo Louie is a really like family to us. And they donated all of
- this food at no charge. So another little round of applause. That's a big donation. Thank you so much.
- It's awesome.
- We want to say thank you to Verona Coffee. As you can tell, I come fully leaded all the time. This cup
- rarely leaves my hand. So I am very thankful for Hillary and Verona Coffee for donating the coffee today.
- So round of applause for Verona Coffee and Hillary Elliott.
- For dessert today, we want to say thank you to Windmill Farm Sweets. Brandi Hamilton is our Owen County
- Community Director. She works at the club and she also happens to be an exceptional baker. She has this
- business and she donated all of our sweets today. Thanks, Brandi.
- Master Rental, Darren Lavin's a good friend of ours, also a past board member. Darren sponsors all of
- our events and donates all of these rentals. Again, a huge gift that helps us to make sure every dollar
- goes to kids and families. So a round of applause for Master Rental. Thank you so much for your generosity.
- And then Marquis Rental and Staging, they make us look and sound good. They discount services for us
- and help us by supporting us and sponsoring us throughout the years. So thank you to Zach and the whole
- crew over there. Please give a round of applause for Marquis Rental and Staging.
- Some final thank yous today are Pizza Express for donating pizza for all of those kiddos you saw in
- our parade. The fire department always comes and helps us set up and tear down tables. That's been a
- long-standing tradition for a lot of times that Lee Chapman knows. We really appreciate it. They come
- in here and get it done. Thank you to Go Express Travel for helping us parking down here. We know it's
- tough, and so we appreciate that that shuttle is donated to us from Go Express Travel for all of our
- events. They cover that cost. And the convention center for letting us use their lot. So round of applause
- for all of those folks today.
- And before we move forward, there is another group that I want to thank and remember. This year, there
- were many dear to the club family that passed away. Tom Atkinson, Lee Marchant, Ellie Rank, Bill Fromer,
- Joyce Grandorf, Ken Nunn, Pat Baldwin, Barry Leso, Tom Schwant, Gail Cook, Charlotte Zitlow, and others.
- We are so thankful to have known them. We're so thankful to have been impacted by them and their generosity
- over a lifetime. The club kids benefited more from these individuals than they will ever know. They
- had a huge impact on our lives and the lives of the kids that we serve. And before we move forward,
- I would love to just take a moment of silence to remember and honor them.
- you for taking the time. It's really about people. It's about relationships. That's what makes everything
- go. It's what makes the world go round. And you'll hear a lot of that today. What impact you all have
- allowed us to have and the people that we work with have allowed us to have in Bloomington. We ate,
- and hopefully you're still eating a little bit. We thanked, which we'll continue to do. And now we want
- to show a little love. We want to show love to a group that I get to have the privilege of working with
- every single day.
- We have 36 full-time professional staff. They are administrators, they're fundraisers, they're youth
- advocates, educators, mentors, safety specialists, masters of fun, and these people really make the
- magic of the club come alive. Very thankful for these people, and I would love for them to stand right
- now and be recognized. Club staff, stand up.
- As you can tell, it takes a lot of people.
- to get done what it is that we do. And I'm so thankful for this group. They work hard every single day.
- It is a joy and a privilege to lead this team. They're really the best there is. And you saw them all.
- They're in their merch t-shirts, their new throwback Boys and Girls Club t-shirts. And so for our 70
- year anniversary, we are excited to be launching our new merch store. So you'll see this torch logo
- that's on their t-shirts. This was like the original Boys Club logo. It's also back in the back of the
- gym, really big on the wall. All kinds of places you'll see this. But this reminds us that we are passing
- the torch to the future generation,
- those that will come after us. And so we're excited to honor that legacy and we're excited to launch
- this store today. So you have a QR code and you have shopbgc.org in your program.
- And you'll get a discount code if you use that before the end of February. So get 15% off. And there's
- some merchandise we're launching today, but we're going to continue to add to this store. And of course,
- all the proceeds will go to the club. So you'll help us to spread the good word about what's happening
- at the club and the community. And we'll make a little money off of it as well. And it'll be just a
- great win-win for us. So please check out that store today or after you leave and take that program
- with you so that you can look at it.
- You're going to see a lot of things showcased today. You're going to hear about numbers. You're going
- to hear about growth. You're going to hear about our buildings. And you're going to hear from kids as
- well. We run over 100 specialty programs in our club. And you're going to see just some of those showcased.
- One of our programs that we have at all of our clubs is photography. So our photography club kids wave
- at us in the back. They're back there. These are our Lincoln Street photography club kids from the teen group.
- And thanks to David and Martha Moore and the Farr Center for Contemporary Arts, we have cameras at all
- of our clubs, and our photography club is funded really well, and we're able to teach kids about photography.
- And so they're back there at the photo booth, so on your way out, if you've got time, stop back there
- and get your photo taken, and watch for the photography from our kids coming out in the next few days.
- So we're thankful to have them back there.
- The next thing I want to talk about is our annual report. So you'll get a lot of information today.
- I hope you remember every single thing that we say, but we know that you won't, and so it's all right.
- We've got an annual report where you can see all of it. You can scan the QR code for our annual report
- or go to our website. It's also in the program. And we will have paper copies, too, if you prefer a
- paper copy. But we love to be able to give you a little more detail and share the stories about what
- it is that you have all helped us do and the success that you have helped us have throughout the year.
- So thank you for that.
- We've had lots of success this year, and I want to share a little bit about, well, we'll start with
- the kids, because that's what we're here to talk about. This past year, we served more kids than ever
- before. More kids than ever before. 3,217 kids were registered club members in 2025. That is 941 more
- kids than last year.
- That's a lot more kids. That's our goal, to serve all the kids who need us most. And we're going to
- continue to hear the theme of growth throughout the year. On any given day, across our now six club
- sites, we had as many as 708 kids rely on the club each and every day, which is about 45 more kids every
- day than we had last year. So huge numbers we're seeing. The need is great, and you are allowing us
- to rise to meet it. We serve children ages 5 to 18, school-age kids.
- In this past year, that included 415 teenagers navigating some of the most important and challenging
- years of their lives. We served kids from 32 schools across Monroe and Owen counties. With food partners
- like Community Kitchen and Hoosierfield's Food Bank, we provided 62,184 meals and snacks. We feed kids
- every single day, and we could not do it without those partners.
- We are the second largest daily food provider to kids in Monroe County behind only the school systems.
- We supported 503 kids during fall and spring break when school was out, but the need for high quality
- programming and engagement did not stop. And the same goes for summer when we had 2,787 kids registered
- this past summer. We open our doors for 10 weeks at 7 AM and we do not close them until 7 PM. So we
- are here all day with kids during the summer because kids need us then.
- They need to be enriched and they need to remember some of the stuff they learned in school. So when
- they hit it in the fall, they haven't forgotten it all. They need to have fun. They need to play. They
- need to get outside. They need to interact with each other. And families need the child's care at low
- or no cost over the summer. And so we are thankful to be able to provide that because of all of you.
- Accessibility is at the heart of everything we do. None of this is free. It all costs money. But we
- don't charge that to our families in need.
- We only charge $20 a year for our after school programs for kids and families in Monroe and Owen Counties.
- Now lots of families donate to us and they pay more because they can, but there are a lot of families
- that can't. And so we're here for every single kid who needs us and your support is what allows us to
- charge that $20 a year.
- It actually costs us about $750 a year to serve a kid. So if we were to charge the families, and let's
- say they have two, three, four kids, $750 a year, that would be cost prohibitive for a lot of families.
- As the cost of everything else goes up,
- We want the cost of our programs to go down so that they have more money to spend on groceries, they
- have more money to spend on utilities and rent and the things that they really need. And so we're able
- to keep that cost down only because of all of the people in this room and beyond that have chosen to
- give and support the Boys and Girls Clubs of Wilmington. Our community needs club kids. There are future
- teachers, doctors, business owners, caregivers, and leaders. They'll shape what this community becomes.
- And club kids need all of us.
- Thank you for being here and for believing in what is possible when we show up for youth. All right,
- so enough from me now. Try to ignore the cuteness that's happening to my left. But they're going to
- come around and come up on the stage. And I'm really excited to introduce our first showcase of the
- day, the Ellitsville Club Cheer and Dance Team. Come on up, guys.
- Good job, Alexville. It takes a lot of hard work, so I want to give a shout out to staff member Nikki
- for all the work that she's done with that. Hi, everyone. My name is Jack Lasky, and I serve as the
- vice president of youth development for the club. I'm here to celebrate the growth that we saw in 2025.
- I'm excited to share with you how all of your support impacted the growth in our program over the past year.
- For those of you that might not know, we added a new site this year, and we now serve members at seven
- sites across Monroe and Owen Counties throughout the year. Here at the Lincoln Street, at the Steve
- and Connie Ferguson Crestmont Club, the Ellisville Club, Camp Rock on Lake Lemon, and our three Owen
- County sites. We have a standalone clubhouse in Owen County and two school-based sites, Gosport Elementary,
- which we opened in the fall of 2024, and Patrick'sburg Elementary, which we opened up just this past fall.
- The club has truly grown and mobilized in order to support our region in ways that we haven't been able
- to in the past. There are many in this room who gave and supported the vision of serving kids in Owen
- County who need us most. And I'm pleased to report that we are now serving as many as 112 kids per day
- in Owen County. And that number will continue to grow. So we want to say thank you for those who've
- supported the Owen County clubs with your donations.
- In honor of the great work, the team that has been doing in Owen County, the Owen County Chamber of
- Commerce recognized us as the 2025 Nonprofit of the Year. We're pleased to win this award, but are even
- more pleased to be contributing member to the Owen County community. We're partnering with people in
- Owen County to add value and improve the quality of life for the residents there. And they've welcomed
- us to serve the kids and families who need us the most. So again, thank you for that.
- As we set our eyes on the upcoming year, we have more new and exciting ways to continue to grow and
- serve more kids. One way we are doing so is by expanding our popular Camp Rock program out at Lake Lemon.
- In August 2025, we held a ceremonial groundbreaking on a new building that will help us serve 50 more
- campers a day by the summer of 2027. So we currently serve about 100 kids a day there, so adding 50
- more will help us grow by 50%.
- Camp Rock is such a special program for our organization. Kids spend the entire day outdoors, fishing,
- hiking, canoeing, swimming. They participate in archery, do crafts, sing camp songs, and have a special
- cookout every Friday. So we're thrilled at the opportunity to have more campers experience the summer
- on the lake. I was a Camp Rock director for six years, so it held a very special place in my heart.
- And I'm proud that we're going to be expanding that magic of Camp Rock for more kids and families soon.
- And if you're a parent in this room that's tried to get into Camp Rock, I think you'll be excited by
- shorter wait lists and more room for campers. In 2024, we also started a new initiative to help grow
- the number of kids that we're seeing attending the club daily. We're a drop-in program, so kids don't
- have to come every day.
- But our data shows that if we can serve kids three days a week or more, we have a much more significant
- impact on their lives. So in addition to the growth that Leslie had mentioned in registered members
- and number of kids attending each day, the number of members who attended 100 days or more per school
- year increased by 245 members, which is incredible.
- Our efforts are working and our data is showing the impact is growing. Our National Youth Outcomes
- Initiative, which is our annual survey data that we receive from our members, went up across the board
- in almost every single category, which is good as I've seen it in the past 12 years that I've been with
- the organization. And more regular attendance by members allows us to deepen our impact and serve as
- a more foundational component for the daily lives and the kids and families that we support.
- As always, we make this impact by continuing to offer a wide variety of more than 100 special programs
- that focus on education, arts, health and wellness, and leadership and service. For those programs,
- those programs include karate, cooking, chess, gardening, skateboarding, soccer, and so much more. This
- past year we also made the intentional decision to prioritize the growth of educational support at the
- clubs for kids and families. Our tutoring program,
- continues to make huge impacts across our sites. And we've increased our efforts. We've seen increased
- results. So in 2025, nearly 100 volunteers helped us provide free weekly tutoring to 198 members for
- a total of over 1800 hours of tutoring in 2025. And since our pilot year in 2023, we have grown this
- program by over 113 members, which is incredible. Big shout out to Kristen for leading that. Let's give
- Kristen a round of applause.
- Because our focus on educational support and the great success of the tutoring program, when an opportunity
- came along to provide these supports over the summer, we explored it. This opportunity came in the form
- of a new summer learning lab program. The summer learning lab is an evidence-based program that serves
- as a great opportunity for all students to stay academically engaged over the summer while still getting
- the experience
- the joys of summer break. Through the statewide program, the club was able to provide free full-day
- summer programming to 267 rising first and eighth graders. Each day students received 90 minutes of
- literacy instruction and 75 minutes of math instruction before jumping into our traditional summer activities
- like field trips, swimming, arts and crafts, and all the other fun things that you think of when you
- think of club in the summer.
- For the academic portion of the day, we partnered with local school districts to hire licensed teachers
- with the help of Boys and Girls Club staff to serve as teachers' aids in those classrooms. And the teachers
- we worked with were absolutely fantastic and overwhelmingly excited about the opportunity. And over
- half of the participants who we served received free and reduced lunch. So the five free weeks of full-day
- summer programming made a huge difference.
- in those families. And the results were fantastic. Members that attended the summer learning lab on
- average saw over 20% growth in English language arts and over 12% increases in math scores in just five
- weeks. So taking these types of programs on that help raise the bar for youth in our community is what
- we're all about. And thank you for helping us grow this past year. It has been fun to find the innovative
- and new ways to serve kids and families in ways that they need us most.
- So now it's time for another showcase and it is my pleasure to introduce our Owen County Drama Club.
- We hope that you enjoy their performance and I think they'll be coming up just right now.
- Look at how special I am. Look at my beautiful shells sparkling in every color of the rainbow. Hello,
- Sarah. What do you want? Don't you see I'm busy enjoying my beautiful shells? Can I have one of your
- beautiful sparkly shells? A shell? Give you one of my shells? Never. Get away from me, Toby.
- What are you looking at? Donnie, should I have the most beautiful shells on the beach? I don't think
- I want to play with you anymore. Me neither. Wait, where are you going?
- I have the most beautiful shells on the beach, but no one will play with me. Beauty isn't everything,
- Sarah. Your shells are lovely, but your heart is gone. But what does my heart have to do with my beauty?
- I'll tell you what, Sarah. Go to their house, find Grandma. She'll know what to tell you. Grandma,
- good idea. Thanks, Granddad.
- Sarah, welcome child. Come have a seat and help grandma with these things. Yes, grandma. Sarah, you
- seem troubled. What's bothering you?
- My grandpa said it's my heart. Am I sick? Oh no, my dear. You are perfectly healthy. Listen, Sarah.
- The secret to having a beautiful heart is sharing. Give away one of your beautiful shells to each of
- your friends. A shell? Give them one of my shells? But then they won't be special. You'll have less
- shells, but you'll learn what it truly means to have a beautiful heart. Get my hair so I can walk on the snow.
- Wait. Hello, Sarah. I want to give you a shell. Just one sparkling shell. Thank you, Sarah. It's a wonderful
- gift. Can I please have one too, Sarah? Me too. Me too. Me too. Yes, yes, of course.
- I'm not the only kid with beautiful shells anymore, but I've never been happier. My heart must be beautiful
- just like our shells. You're the best, Sarah! Let's all go play!
- She saw her mom back there and so happy her mom was here to watch her. Let's give another round of applause
- for these Owen County kids.
- You know, I'm so thankful for these opportunities for kids to be able to do this. Getting in front of
- all of you is a little scary. A little scary for me. It's a lot scary for them. And I love giving kids
- opportunities to face those fears. That's what we do every single day at the club.
- We help kids learn resilience. We help them learn how to grow and how to thrive. And even if they fail
- or even if they mess up, we help them see, hey, it's OK. It's not that big of a deal. You can get back
- up and you can try again. But they really nailed it. They did great. So I'm so thankful for this opportunity.
- Thank you for being such a great audience and a supportive audience and supporting those kids to showcase
- their talents and what they've been working on.
- We are so glad the Owen County Club is now part of our organization and the club family and we're actually
- part of a much larger organization. We're an independent 501c3 with our own board and a lot of autonomy
- but we're part of what's called the Boys and Girls Club movement. The movement is across the country.
- We're part of an organization that's got
- clubs on native lands, on every military installation in the world, in every state in our country. We've
- got a Boys and Girls Club Alliance where we work together with clubs in the state of Indiana. And across
- the country we serve 5,500 clubs, are serving 4 million kids through Boys and Girls Clubs. That's really
- awesome to be part of that network. We share best practices, we support each other, and we love being
- part of that bigger group.
- This year, we participated in a collaborative marketing effort with our alliance to tell the power of
- the club in the state of Indiana. And our very own Kelly King, who's here with us today, she's the owner
- of 8020 Agency, her and her team videotaped this for us and put this piece together, so we want to show
- it to you today. One day, a boys and girls club kid will lead your team to the finals. One day, a club
- kid will save your life. One day, he might be your boss.
- Or she might find your home. One day a club kid will shape champions, fight for what's just, and serve
- your community. Think it's unlikely? They're already doing it. Indiana needs club kids.
- And that's why today, club kids need you. Donate to support your local Boys and Girls Club today. Kelly
- and her team did such a great job and you might have recognized that gym in the video, the gym you're
- sitting in right now. I love that message. Our community needs club kids. Bloomington needs club kids.
- Ellisville needs club kids.
- Owen County needs club kids. We need what these kids bring to the table. We need them to thrive and
- grow into, as our mission says, caring, productive, and responsible citizens. And you all provide
- opportunities for them to do just that. One opportunity you help us to provide is our Youth of the Year
- program. This is the highest honor that a kid can win at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Bloomington. Young
- people compete across our organization, and we have one winner from each location every year.
- And then we have an organizational winner who is our Boys and Girls Clubs of Bloomington Youth of the
- Year. They go on to compete at a statewide competition, and it's a really great opportunity for them.
- So at this point, I'm going to invite John and Audrey McCluskey to make their way up to the stage, and
- I'm going to speak a little bit more about them as they come. The power of this program to give kids
- opportunities resonated with John and Audrey McCluskey. As they come, I'll tell you that they care deeply
- for the club and the work that we do with young people.
- and wanted to create something special that would leave a legacy for the future. But they also wanted
- to help provide support to kids now. Ultimately, the John A. McCluskey Jr. Youth of the Year Fund was
- formed. We had lots of conversations about what that would look like and how we would support our kids,
- and I'm excited to share a little bit more about that with you today, and they'll share a little bit
- as well. Today, we are going to give away our first scholarship for that fund for our 2025 Youth of the Year.
- But before we do, I will let John and Audrey tell you a little bit more about kind of why they had a
- passion for this program specifically, why they wanted to pour into youth and share a little bit more
- about their heart for the Boys and Girls Club. So please welcome John and Audrey McCluskey. Thank you.
- It's wonderful to be here and see so many familiar faces.
- But first, I want to thank Leslie. She's done just a phenomenal job. She had some big shoes to fill
- after Jeff Baldwin, but she more than filled them and in heels. So in terms of this boys club, it's
- meant so much to our family over the years.
- When we moved to Bloomington about 40 years ago, we had three small boys in tow. The first thing, we
- were looking for places to absorb some of their restless energy. So we found three places in Bloomington.
- And of course, the Boys Club, it was then called the Boys Club, was one of them. But the first stop
- was to the library because we
- wanted to be educated so we wanted to make sure that they knew where the public library we have a phenomenal
- public library the next place was a YMCA because we like to stay fit and we want to keep them busy and
- then the third place of course is this foundational place the Boys Club here on Lincoln and it has meant
- so much to us now John
- who was a football guy, played football in college, high school and college, and he came here, you know,
- soccer was on the rise, and he didn't know very much about soccer, but he learned. He learned,
- he saw videos, he read books, et cetera, and coached boys' club soccer here at the boys' club. And they
- went on to be champions, I think. So.
- And not only did he coach soccer, which was football, he also coached basketball. And I think they also
- won. So a big birthday was coming up for John, and family and friends were coming from all over. And
- I knew they would bring gifts. And I said, well, we are in that stage now, but we're thinking more about
- legacy rather than just gifts, ties and shirts and all.
- And so that's when the thought in my conversations with Jeff began about a fund, a sustainable fund
- in John's name because he really loved all the work that he did here. And so that was the germination
- and we worked out all the details and I think we have a sustainable program that can go on for years.
- And so we are just very, very delighted to have this opportunity to give back.
- And so John now will talk a little bit more about it.
- Okay. So it was a little less than five decades ago, and the oldest son, with three sons, the oldest
- one was seven years old, the youngest who was still in diapers. So none of them were tall enough to
- do slam dunks on any of these baskets. So we looked around and said, well, okay, where can they expend
- this energy that they have?
- We found the library. We found the church. And then we found this place because it was a place where
- they could come and just hang out. It was a safe place. And they could come have fun. But they could
- also learn the skill and the art of athletics. It was not kickball or dodgeball. There was a grace to
- soccer. There was a grace to basketball. They learned to win. They learned to accept loss.
- but they also learned to learn from that loss. And they went on through their lives to do interesting
- things. When I asked them a couple nights ago, I said, what sticks out in your mind about the Boys Club
- experience? And yes, they were the, when the fathers would join the boys at Lake Lemon for an overnight
- on Friday night, okay, they're mosquitoes.
- Nobody slept. There were the great basketball games in this site that we have here. There were the great
- soccer matches along the way. All of those were great fun. But what stuck out were the relationships.
- And the youngest one who was in diapers when he arrived here said, you know, what is most important
- to me are the relationships.
- Five boys who never met on one team are now good friends, and coming back from a ski club, a ski weekend
- in Colorado, they've become the best of friends for 45 years. And I'm thinking, to a 12-year-old, 45
- doesn't mean very, very much. You're not aiming for that. You're aiming to do a slam dunk or something
- else. But as we grow older, we realize that there's something to cherish.
- and to be supported as much as we possibly can. So I'm very, very proud of that pillar of our experience
- here. It's a winner, that's all I can say. And hopefully your support will continue as we all go forward.
- Thank you very much.
- than John. I'm going to have them stay up here because we are going to invite our Youth of the Year
- to receive her scholarship now. So I want to tell you a little bit about Ariana. She was our Ellisville
- Club Youth of the Year winner and then she won our organizational award. She represents the mission
- of the organization with excellence and dedication. She's a leader by example.
- She continues to grow. She challenges the status quo. She asks thoughtful questions. She pours into
- other members and her peers, and they look up to her. They really were excited and happy for her when
- she won this Youth of the Year award, and they celebrated her, which is another great characteristic
- of all of us. We learned how to celebrate each other and be happy for each other. It was fun to watch
- them to do that for you, Ariana.
- She continues to grow and has been with us and is an excellent representation of our organization. She
- won the Youth of the Year Award for our org, and she went on to the state competition. And she placed
- fifth in the state competition in the top five as a freshman. And the other ones that placed in the
- top five were all seniors. So we were pretty proud of Ariana and the work she did. Please welcome up
- Ariana. Come on up here, Ariana.
- and he's gonna take our picture. Ariana, come right here. We're gonna give that to you, yeah. Wonderful,
- thank you guys. Congratulations. Congrats, good work. You wanna say something? Yeah, go for it. And
- then I just wanted to thank everyone for
- encouraging me and helping me to get through this journey for youth of the year. Thank you.
- was really good she was very nervous but at the state competition they have to give their speech about
- six or seven different times so by the last time she really had it down and you could tell those nerves
- sort of went away but that was almost a year ago now that she was up at the state competition so we
- are really proud of our youth of the year and we're excited because we're about to crown another youth
- of the year as well but really great to have opportunities to really recognize and honor our club kids.
- volunteers and people who want to make a difference like the McCluskys really help us to get this done.
- Actually, I couldn't have said it better than John. He said it's all about relationships, and that is
- true. There are so many people that make it possible to do what it is that we do, and a lot of you are
- in this room right now. But volunteers are also a part of that picture. We love our staff, but we love
- having volunteers in our building. And in the past year, 2025 alone, we had over 1,000 volunteers give
- their time, energy, and talent to our youth, and they contributed 13,400
- 486 hours in service. Those hours matter. They represent homework help after a long day of school. They
- represent encouragement when it feels hard. Consistent adult support is what kids need to thrive, and
- these volunteers have showed them that they're capable of more than they think they are. They serve
- as board members, they serve as advisors, tutors, mentors, and program partners. They're the adults
- who recognize potential before kids see it in themselves.
- and they show up week after week because they believe in the future of our kids. So if you have volunteered
- at a fundraising event, in a program with our kids, if you have been on the board of directors in any
- capacity or you represent an organization who volunteers or sends volunteers, I'm gonna ask you to stand
- up and be recognized at this time, please. Let's get a little hand for our volunteers. Come on board
- members, join us. Volunteers, community leaders,
- Thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Those volunteer hours are so valuable. We calculated those
- savings, and it's very conservative calculation, but they're around $98,000 in savings with volunteer
- hours that we didn't have to pay staff or our partners to come in and run programs. So it's a huge savings
- to the organization when volunteers are a part of what it is that we do.
- And I think that's a good segue to introduce to you our VP of Finance and Administration, Matt Gargiulo,
- and he's gonna tell you a little bit more about our financial success that you allowed us to have. So
- please welcome Matt.
- Hi everyone, my name is Matt Gargiulo and I have the privilege of serving as the VP of Finance here
- at the Boys and Girls Club. This is my third report to really reflect on the impact of our community's
- investment in young people across Monroe and Owen Counties. Oh goodness, 2025 was truly a year of remarkable
- growth financially, operationally, and missionally.
- Even with the uncertainty that we experienced with some government funding in our state and federal
- sources, our local community stepped forward in powerful ways to really ensure that our clubs remained
- a stable and high quality resource for kids and families. In 2025, our operating budget, our operating
- revenue reached $4.1 million that met and exceeded our budget goals. And it took a lot of different
- ways to get there.
- The success of that goal reflects the generosity of thousands of individuals, small businesses,
- civic groups, corporations and community partners, all of you. 2.3 million of that, 56% of our budget
- came directly from individuals, individual donors and local businesses. That is a remarkable feat and
- I continue to just thank you for that investment. Your support, it is a testament to the heart of our
- community.
- Thank you for continuing to invest in our mission and our kids.
- It also came from innovative partnerships and programs like the summer learning labs program that you
- heard a little bit about and from private charitable foundations of all shapes and sizes. So overall
- in a year of leadership transition and uncertainty, I am proud to say that we have also controlled expenses
- well and we have stewarded the resources that we received. We can collectively ended with a net positive
- revenue of nearly $53,000.
- Every year when I compile this report, I am reminded of how deeply invested our community is in this
- mission. And these numbers, they represent people, people who believe in great futures for our kids
- across Monroe and Owen counties. So if you like the data and numbers like I do and want more, make sure
- that you check out our annual report for more details. It's important to know that these numbers only
- tell part of the story.
- This past year, every key mission-aligned metric, they continued to move in the right direction. We
- served more kids. We strengthened our program quality. We invested intentionally in our staff
- and infrastructure. We intentionally continued the legacy of being good stewards of our community's
- investment through ensuring that every dollar supports our youth
- cares for our beautiful facilities and helps position us for continued impact in 2026 and beyond. So
- as we celebrate 70 years, I recognize that this progress, it stands on the shoulders of decades
- of leadership, generosity and belief in this mission. And really the opportunities that you've heard
- about of being able to respond to needs in communities around us and right here in our backyard, we
- celebrate today all of that, that we really only are able to do this
- because of the legacy that was built by those who came before, including many of you in this room in
- so many different ways. You've poured your time, your talent, and your treasure into the clubs year
- after year. So thank you for being a part of our story. Thank you for helping create great futures for
- thousands of children and youth in our community. And thank you for investing in our mission and in
- our kids. At this time, I'd like to welcome back to our stage our VP of Resource Development, Darcy Casey.
- Hi, everybody. I'm Darcy Casey. I'm the VP of Resource Development here at the club. So good to see
- you all. This time last year, I was on this stage. I was a little bit rounder. I was seven months pregnant
- with my daughter, Delta. She's nine months old and crawling and eating noodles now. But I was only about
- a month into my new job.
- into this role, I landed my dream job. And I was meeting all of you for the very first time. I was a
- little shaky. I'm probably still a little shaky. But I know and I knew then that I'm in the right place.
- The reason I believe that this mission is so crucial is rooted in my experience as a working mom. I
- know how challenging it can be to balance work and family
- and how important it is to feel supported while building your career. That's exactly what the Boys and
- Girls Club provides. Support for the kids who need us most, obviously, to all become caring, productive,
- responsible citizens, but also support for the mothers and the families in this community and in this
- room. Every mom deserves to have this experience, to have their dream job.
- Just remember that for every kid we serve, there's a mom or a caretaker behind them who is able to pursue
- their dreams just like me. And that wouldn't be possible without all of you. So thank you. The donors
- in this room really showed up for young people who needed us most this year. As Matt mentioned, for
- the past 70 years, we've relied heavily on the generosity of individual community members
- Everyone here has played a part in that history. In 2025, 1,375 community members donated to the club.
- 76% of that came from people living right here in this community, so local dollars supporting local
- kids. We also welcomed 577 new donors to our family.
- So if you're sitting here today, as Leslie mentioned, welcome to the movement. Your support is changing
- lives. Some of the most exciting ways that we raise funds throughout the year are events, which collectively
- generate over half a million dollars. But these aren't events, they're just not about raising funds.
- They're about connection, visibility, and creating experiences where our community actively invests
- in the lives of young people.
- This past May, we hosted our Boys to Men event, which focuses on mentorship, character development,
- and positive role models for young men in our clubs. We were honored to welcome someone who you no longer
- have to Google, Indiana University head football coach and national championship title winner, Kurt Signetti.
- The event was emceed by the voice of the Hoosiers, Don Fisher. And we are grateful to have IU football
- players, including our own Khalil Benson, in attendance, serving as real life examples of leadership
- and commitment. We recognize our Men in Leadership award winner, Cal Richard Kinman, who personifies
- our mission at the Ellitsville club as the team director. In September, we hosted Smart Girls Strong
- Women, which helps fund smart girls programming and promotes healthy lifestyles, confidence,
- positive relationships and leadership for girls ages eight to 18. The evening was emceed by
- Sherry Dunbar-Cruzan and featured keynote speaker Vera Jones, an award-winning broadcaster, motivational
- speaker in Boys and Girls Clubs of America alumna. A special moment of the evening was a presentation
- of the Anne St. John Strong Woman Award. Honoring our club staff member, Ms. LaTanya, our unit director
- at the Stephen Conny Ferguson Cresmont Club.
- We also had Golf Heroes. It's another event that reflects a power of the teamwork. At Rolling Meadows
- Golf Course, 18 dedicated players came together to support the Ellisville Club, where as many as 263
- kids attend every day, making it our largest club. I think we should give a round of applause for that.
- Their commitment
- Their commitment directly supported programs, mentorship, and opportunities for kids. In 2025, we are
- also the recipients of the annual 100 Cooks Who Care event presented by Old National Bank. This event
- brought chefs of all skill levels, repping their favorite TV shows, and brought us alongside Big Brothers
- Big Sisters to raise over $100,000 in profits for each organization.
- We actually did a lot of cooking in costumes this year in 2025 because we also, thanks to the hard work
- of Brandy Hamilton, our Owen County Community Director, we were thrilled to launch our first signature
- event in Owen County, Owen County Cooks for Kids. Thanks to our friends at Old National for letting
- us repurpose and reuse this event, we were able to
- bring it to a new community. We exceeded our thirty thousand dollar goal in the first year and have
- our sights set on doubling that in twenty twenty six. We also hosted the second annual One Love event
- which supports the One Love needs and scholarship fund. This fund ensures club youth have access to
- urgent needs like clothing shoes school supplies
- hygiene items, while also supporting scholarships from alumni to pursue education or entering the workforce.
- Thanks to the generosity of this community and a huge thanks to Terry Eads, who is little Jackie. Remember
- the membership card? It's his wife that we told you about earlier. Her and her family and Rebecca Thomas
- poured their heart into this and raised nearly $35,000.
- We also benefited from a lot of other community support, little auctions and fundraisers throughout
- the community. Here's a couple of notable ones. The Barbie Convention. Andrew Davis and IU Basketball
- paired up to give us a significant gift. Bob Knight.
- memorabilia auction. We actually had in possession one of his chairs that he used to eat ice cream in.
- And so we auctioned that off. Kelly Women's MBA auction, and of course, our longtime supporters, the
- Auxiliary. And they've been around almost as long as we have, as long as the Boys and Girls Club. But
- they had an incredible year. The Strawberry Shortcake Festival sold
- 4,000 cakes and 340 kits, and they added a relatively new addition, which is the 5K event, which doubled
- in attendance this year. So, so many fun events and small and large fundraisers, but thank you to everyone
- who attended, sponsored, donated to, or raised your paddle to sponsor a child or purchase an auction
- item at any of these events I mentioned. If that is you and you are here today,
- I want to ask you to please stand and be recognized at this time. So anybody who has came to Boys to
- Men or Smart Girls, I see some of you out there. Go ahead and stand up. Yes. Let's give a round of applause.
- Thank you. Yes. You all bring these events to life.
- But another thing that I want to talk about is something to celebrate, which truly brings our mission
- to life as our community events. They allow us to reach young people and families far beyond our daily
- club members. Across our Ellisville, Ferguson, Cresmont, and Lincoln Street clubs, their community
- put on Halloween parties, a Thanksgiving dinner, and brought families together for a true sense of community.
- And we couldn't have done it without your support and the amazing staff members at each of these clubs.
- Our Spring Fling Father Figure Daughter Dance presented by Service Master and our Fall Ball sponsored
- by Old National Bank and Harris Services continue to create meaningful events and moments for families
- of all shapes and sizes.
- We had over 400 attendees at these events. But what makes these events especially meaningful is that
- they're free, open to all, made possible by our generous sponsors and donors. Because of you, the club
- is not just a place where kids go after school. It's a place where families gather, traditions grow,
- and the entire community feels welcome. So thank you for making these moments possible.
- Our most recognized community event is Lemonade Day, presented by our friends at Cook Medical. It remains
- one of the most far reaching programs. In 2025, more than 900 young entrepreneurs participated, learning
- lifelong skills around earning, saving, and sharing. Lemonade Day is truly a year round experience.
- It kicks off in March.
- And then in May, we host a University Day where our community members come and teach our kids how to
- run a small business. University Day is in May, and then it's followed by Lemonade Day on June 7th.
- It will be this year.
- This program wouldn't be possible without our Lemon Council. They're dedicated volunteers who plan to
- teach and show up for our kids. They're really the heart of this program, and they're simply the zest.
- That one's for you, Laura. Let's give a round of applause for the Lemon Council.
- Okay, I wanna spend the rest of my time on stage today, recognizing all of you, the people and the partners
- who keep our membership fees affordable so that we can serve more kids than ever, just like Leslie mentioned.
- While families pay just $20 a year, it costs us about 750 to serve each child. Because so many people
- in this room said yes to sponsoring a kid,
- Through our annual board led fundraising efforts, we raised $272,000. That means in 2025, you all opened
- that blue door for about 362 kids to walk into the club and be changed for good. Thank you so much for
- sponsoring kids through our Our Kids campaign and Big Hearts campaign this year.
- If you have sponsored a child for $750 a year, which is one child or multiple children through our annual
- campaigns, please stand and be recognized at this time. Truly, truly special.
- to see all of you here, it's really great. The Blue Door that I just mentioned is part of our Blue Door
- Society. It signals a meaningful commitment, recognizing donors who have supported the club for five
- or more years. So, if you're a long time supporter, if you've been donating for five or more years,
- you're in our Blue Door Society. We have over 775 community members who fall in this category.
- In August, we hosted our eighth annual Blue Door Society Cookout at Camp Rock on Lake Lemon, where we
- gathered with over 100 attendees and celebrated these longtime supporters. At this event, we also honored
- our Be Great award winners who are longtime, consistent volunteers. So if you are here, please at this
- time, would anyone who has given to the club for five years or more stand to be recognized?
- We're grateful for all of you, all of our partners, including businesses, civic groups, other nonprofits,
- school corporations, and government entities who support the club at any level. It takes strong support
- and partnerships to do the work that we do every day. We specifically want to show you those at the
- top three levels. Our mentors at 2,500, and we can go ahead and give them a round of applause.
- the champion level at $5,000 and above. And our club heroes at $10,000 plus. These partnerships sustain
- our work year after year because you believe our community needs club kids.
- Thank you for supporting young people through sponsorships, grants, and partnerships that create real
- lasting impact. It takes all kinds of gifts actually, in kind, service trades, discounts, donations
- from these groups to get things done efficiently and sustainably. If you represent a business,
- civic group, another nonprofit partner, school corporation, or government partner at any level, please
- stand to be recognized at this time.
- We really couldn't do it without you. Another thing that we couldn't think about going further into
- the future is without our Heritage Club. So the Heritage Club honors those who have chosen to support
- the Boys and Girls Club of Bloomington for generations to come by including the club and their estate
- plans. Today, 64 members are recognized on our legacy wall and each making a lasting commitment to kids
- in our community.
- As we celebrate 70 years, our goal is to grow that number to 70 members, honoring both our history and
- our future. So please join me in thanking anyone who has left us in their estate plans or in our Heritage Club.
- In 2026, the Boys and Girls Clubs of Bloomington were celebrating 70 years. As you can see, lots of
- birthday decor around turning 70. But for the past 70 years, we've been inspiring young people and building
- community. We are inviting all alumni of the Boys and Girls Clubs and friends to join or renew your
- membership and the alumni and friends
- and even when I got in here today, I've had lots of conversations. Oh, he was in the boys club or,
- you know, I used to play basketball here. Is anybody here an alumni? Would you consider yourself an
- alumni? Raise your hand, wave at me. Awesome, let's give them a round of applause. I would love
- to have conversations with you this year. We're celebrating 70 years. We want to document these stories.
- We want to share success. So if you can reach out to me and have a story to tell, we're going to have
- a website landing page for all of these stories, as well as a yearbook to commemorate all of these amazing
- community members who used to be club alum. So we want to hear your stories, and we hope we all share
- them with us. In closing,
- Thank you. Thank you for showing up for our kids, our families, and the working parents and moms like
- me in this community. Your generation and your generosity makes dreams come true. And now, as a reminder
- of why we do this work, it's time to hear directly from our kids as we welcome the Ferguson Cresmont
- Club performance. So you can...
- Give them a round of applause and I'll tell you a little bit about them while they make their way here.
- Our final showcase for today is our Stephen Conney Ferguson Cresmont Club Choir with the help of some
- incredible community members. Our kids have been working hard to learn this song with their own added
- twist. So join me in welcoming the Ferguson Cresmont Club.
- She put a lot of work into this today. Way to go, kiddos. All right. So as we begin to wrap up today,
- I want to share a quick story with you. There was a little girl who dreamed big. She dreamed to be queen
- of the world. She would be a school principal. She would own an airport. She would run the largest charity
- in the world and give to everyone who asked her.
- And she really believed she could. She also had a bunch of baby dolls in her hands because she wanted
- to be a mom, too. But she was told she was special, that she brought something to the world, that the
- world needed what it is that she had to give. And doors were opened for her, and people helped her and
- supported her and spoke into her life and gave her opportunities. Over time, she realized people don't
- really own international airports, and there's no such thing as queen of the world. But she started
- to see real possibilities in her lives.
- Real possibilities that were in front of her and started to work towards those dreams. And she believed
- she could. She believed she could bring something special to the world. This little girl was me. I had
- a wonderful support system, parents who loved me and told me I could. My dad who constantly told me
- that just because I was a girl didn't mean that I couldn't lead and be in every room I wanted to be
- in. A mom who told me that I was special every single day and that I brought something interesting and
- unique to the world and the world needed what I had to bring.
- And every kid deserves that kind of support. To be supported, to feel valued, to be seen, and to understand
- that they bring something to the world that no one else can. This is my first year as the CEO of the
- Boys and Girls Club after being here on staff for about 12 years. Today marks 13 months and 13 days
- on the job, actually. And it's been quite a ride. It's been harder than I thought it would be.
- It's been more complex than I thought it would be. And it's been the most rewarding year and the most
- fun I have ever had. I feel like the queen of the world. But it feels different than I thought it would.
- I don't feel rich because of the title. I feel rich because of the people. Because of each and every
- one of you. All the people who stand beside us and beside the kids that need us most and make an impact
- because you believe in the work that we're doing. And more importantly, you believe in those kids.
- Those kids who stood up here and worked hard to showcase their talents and abilities and stood up here afraid.