WEBVTT 00:00:00.482 --> 00:00:05.431 - All right, friends, we're kicking off the program with a little kazoo parade. You might notice you have 00:00:05.431 --> 00:00:10.333 - some kazoos on your table. If you would like to join in at your table, you're welcome to, but our kids 00:00:10.333 --> 00:00:15.187 - are going to come in and do a little kazooing for us. You might recognize the song, but we'll see how 00:00:15.187 --> 00:00:15.710 - this goes. 00:02:10.786 --> 00:02:20.394 - Can we get a cheer for our kazoo paraders? Well, welcome to Eat, Thank, Love Luncheon Boys and Girls 00:02:20.394 --> 00:02:25.246 - Club family. We are so happy you are here with us. 00:02:25.378 --> 00:02:30.923 - I'm Leslie Absher, I'm the CEO of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Bloomington, and I am thrilled to be able 00:02:30.923 --> 00:02:36.362 - to invite you today to Eat, Thank, Love. This is my favorite club day of the year. And if you haven't 00:02:36.362 --> 00:02:41.747 - noticed, we like to have a little fun around here. We're the Boys and Girls Club, so we really had a 00:02:41.747 --> 00:02:47.079 - good time with that kazoo parade, and part of also why we did that kazoo parade, if you'll put that 00:02:47.079 --> 00:02:52.571 - picture back up if you can, but we used to do kazoo parades in the 4th of July parade, and this is our 00:02:52.571 --> 00:02:55.344 - 70th year anniversary. We opened our doors in 1956. 00:02:55.344 --> 00:03:00.737 - year we are celebrating 70 years in Bloomington and so you're gonna see a lot of throwback and a lot 00:03:00.737 --> 00:03:06.236 - of yeah excellent I love that we want to we want to honor our history we want to recognize our history 00:03:06.236 --> 00:03:11.842 - and we want to celebrate our history and we want to remember what makes the Boys and Girls Club so great 00:03:11.842 --> 00:03:17.288 - and that is all of you you all are part of that and so we were excited to do our kazoo parade and you 00:03:17.288 --> 00:03:17.982 - might see us 00:03:18.210 --> 00:03:23.627 - kazoo parading throughout the community the rest of this year. You'll just have to see. I also want 00:03:23.627 --> 00:03:29.045 - to direct your attention to the screen for the next slide. There's an old membership card up on the 00:03:29.045 --> 00:03:34.571 - screen. For decades, every child who came to the club has gotten a similar card. This one belonged to 00:03:34.571 --> 00:03:39.988 - a dear friend of mine and one of the best supporters of the club that I have ever had the privilege 00:03:39.988 --> 00:03:45.460 - of knowing, Jack Eads. It has the name Jackie Eads on it. It was his childhood nickname and his age. 00:03:45.460 --> 00:03:46.110 - He was six. 00:03:46.946 --> 00:03:53.762 - Jack passed away in 2023 at 70 years old. And all those years, he kept this card. I've got it in my 00:03:53.762 --> 00:04:00.645 - office. The club meant the world to Jack. And for so many kids over 70 years, the club has meant and 00:04:00.645 --> 00:04:07.870 - does mean the world to them too. And you, whether this is your first time with us or you've been donating 00:04:07.870 --> 00:04:15.162 - for most of those 70 years, you provide the support needed to bring the club and the kids in our community 00:04:15.162 --> 00:04:16.798 - like little Jackie Eads 00:04:17.154 --> 00:04:23.025 - the programming that they need. If you look at your table, you should see a small gift waiting for you. 00:04:23.025 --> 00:04:28.897 - It's a replica of this very membership card. And today, this membership card is for you. Whether you've 00:04:28.897 --> 00:04:34.599 - donated or volunteered or partnered with us or simply believe in our mission and are here to learn a 00:04:34.599 --> 00:04:40.301 - little more about it, we invite you now to be part of the Boys and Girls Club legacy and the history 00:04:40.301 --> 00:04:46.398 - of what makes this organization so great. There's a pin on it that is a replica of that exact pin just what 00:04:46.498 --> 00:04:51.310 - a little updated logo, but we'll invite you to wear that pin and to show it off around town and help 00:04:51.310 --> 00:04:56.312 - us to celebrate the 70 years of Boys and Girls Clubs that we have been able to have over our time. Since 00:04:56.312 --> 00:05:01.123 - we're celebrating our birthday, you might have been able to tell they were singing Happy Birthday on 00:05:01.123 --> 00:05:06.221 - the kazoos, maybe not. That was a little hard to coordinate with a parade, but that was what we attempted. 00:05:06.221 --> 00:05:10.270 - So since it's our birthday, we also want you to join our newly formed birthday club. 00:05:10.370 --> 00:05:15.288 - You can scan the QR code in your program. Don't worry, you don't need to give us the year. You can turn 00:05:15.288 --> 00:05:20.017 - 39 as many times as you want. We just need the month and the day from you so that we can send you a 00:05:20.017 --> 00:05:24.746 - little gift on your birthday. The kids would be happy to send you a little prize for your birthday. 00:05:24.746 --> 00:05:29.570 - So we would love for you to join our birthday club. The club is a gift, just like all of you, to this 00:05:29.570 --> 00:05:34.299 - great community. And so today we're going to celebrate that. We're going to celebrate the past, and 00:05:34.299 --> 00:05:37.278 - we're going to look forward to the future and what lies ahead. 00:05:37.794 --> 00:05:42.658 - Before I go any further today, I have some thank yous to do. We know that when you donate to the club, 00:05:42.658 --> 00:05:47.475 - you want most of that money, or if not all of that money, to go directly to kids and programs. And so 00:05:47.475 --> 00:05:52.245 - we pride ourselves on not spending your money that you donated to thank you for donating. So most of 00:05:52.245 --> 00:05:56.968 - this was donated to us, and it didn't cost us anything to put this event on today. And that is only 00:05:56.968 --> 00:06:01.785 - possible because of some wonderful people. So I'm going to thank them this morning. So Buffalo Louise 00:06:01.785 --> 00:06:06.366 - and Gables Bagels, Ed and Jamie Schwartzman, can we get a round of applause for the Schwartzman? 00:06:11.714 --> 00:06:17.748 - So Ed was a past board member and Jamie's a past auxiliary member and we love Nathan and Nancy and James 00:06:17.748 --> 00:06:23.610 - and the whole crew over there at Buffalo Louie is a really like family to us. And they donated all of 00:06:23.610 --> 00:06:29.529 - this food at no charge. So another little round of applause. That's a big donation. Thank you so much. 00:06:29.529 --> 00:06:30.334 - It's awesome. 00:06:31.970 --> 00:06:36.992 - We want to say thank you to Verona Coffee. As you can tell, I come fully leaded all the time. This cup 00:06:36.992 --> 00:06:42.160 - rarely leaves my hand. So I am very thankful for Hillary and Verona Coffee for donating the coffee today. 00:06:42.160 --> 00:06:45.086 - So round of applause for Verona Coffee and Hillary Elliott. 00:06:49.602 --> 00:06:54.981 - For dessert today, we want to say thank you to Windmill Farm Sweets. Brandi Hamilton is our Owen County 00:06:54.981 --> 00:07:00.360 - Community Director. She works at the club and she also happens to be an exceptional baker. She has this 00:07:00.360 --> 00:07:03.774 - business and she donated all of our sweets today. Thanks, Brandi. 00:07:09.282 --> 00:07:14.478 - Master Rental, Darren Lavin's a good friend of ours, also a past board member. Darren sponsors all of 00:07:14.478 --> 00:07:19.776 - our events and donates all of these rentals. Again, a huge gift that helps us to make sure every dollar 00:07:19.776 --> 00:07:25.278 - goes to kids and families. So a round of applause for Master Rental. Thank you so much for your generosity. 00:07:28.770 --> 00:07:33.029 - And then Marquis Rental and Staging, they make us look and sound good. They discount services for us 00:07:33.029 --> 00:07:37.414 - and help us by supporting us and sponsoring us throughout the years. So thank you to Zach and the whole 00:07:37.414 --> 00:07:40.830 - crew over there. Please give a round of applause for Marquis Rental and Staging. 00:07:44.226 --> 00:07:48.687 - Some final thank yous today are Pizza Express for donating pizza for all of those kiddos you saw in 00:07:48.687 --> 00:07:53.194 - our parade. The fire department always comes and helps us set up and tear down tables. That's been a 00:07:53.194 --> 00:07:57.744 - long-standing tradition for a lot of times that Lee Chapman knows. We really appreciate it. They come 00:07:57.744 --> 00:08:02.340 - in here and get it done. Thank you to Go Express Travel for helping us parking down here. We know it's 00:08:02.340 --> 00:08:06.846 - tough, and so we appreciate that that shuttle is donated to us from Go Express Travel for all of our 00:08:06.846 --> 00:08:11.620 - events. They cover that cost. And the convention center for letting us use their lot. So round of applause 00:08:11.620 --> 00:08:12.958 - for all of those folks today. 00:08:18.754 --> 00:08:28.304 - And before we move forward, there is another group that I want to thank and remember. This year, there 00:08:28.304 --> 00:08:38.039 - were many dear to the club family that passed away. Tom Atkinson, Lee Marchant, Ellie Rank, Bill Fromer, 00:08:38.039 --> 00:08:47.774 - Joyce Grandorf, Ken Nunn, Pat Baldwin, Barry Leso, Tom Schwant, Gail Cook, Charlotte Zitlow, and others. 00:08:48.194 --> 00:08:54.046 - We are so thankful to have known them. We're so thankful to have been impacted by them and their generosity 00:08:54.046 --> 00:08:59.465 - over a lifetime. The club kids benefited more from these individuals than they will ever know. They 00:08:59.465 --> 00:09:04.884 - had a huge impact on our lives and the lives of the kids that we serve. And before we move forward, 00:09:04.884 --> 00:09:08.894 - I would love to just take a moment of silence to remember and honor them. 00:09:17.730 --> 00:09:23.103 - you for taking the time. It's really about people. It's about relationships. That's what makes everything 00:09:23.103 --> 00:09:28.273 - go. It's what makes the world go round. And you'll hear a lot of that today. What impact you all have 00:09:28.273 --> 00:09:33.342 - allowed us to have and the people that we work with have allowed us to have in Bloomington. We ate, 00:09:33.342 --> 00:09:38.614 - and hopefully you're still eating a little bit. We thanked, which we'll continue to do. And now we want 00:09:38.614 --> 00:09:43.886 - to show a little love. We want to show love to a group that I get to have the privilege of working with 00:09:43.886 --> 00:09:44.798 - every single day. 00:09:44.962 --> 00:09:52.629 - We have 36 full-time professional staff. They are administrators, they're fundraisers, they're youth 00:09:52.629 --> 00:10:00.220 - advocates, educators, mentors, safety specialists, masters of fun, and these people really make the 00:10:00.220 --> 00:10:08.038 - magic of the club come alive. Very thankful for these people, and I would love for them to stand right 00:10:08.038 --> 00:10:11.454 - now and be recognized. Club staff, stand up. 00:10:24.610 --> 00:10:27.006 - As you can tell, it takes a lot of people. 00:10:27.074 --> 00:10:31.847 - to get done what it is that we do. And I'm so thankful for this group. They work hard every single day. 00:10:31.847 --> 00:10:36.573 - It is a joy and a privilege to lead this team. They're really the best there is. And you saw them all. 00:10:36.573 --> 00:10:41.208 - They're in their merch t-shirts, their new throwback Boys and Girls Club t-shirts. And so for our 70 00:10:41.208 --> 00:10:45.797 - year anniversary, we are excited to be launching our new merch store. So you'll see this torch logo 00:10:45.797 --> 00:10:50.524 - that's on their t-shirts. This was like the original Boys Club logo. It's also back in the back of the 00:10:50.524 --> 00:10:55.388 - gym, really big on the wall. All kinds of places you'll see this. But this reminds us that we are passing 00:10:55.388 --> 00:10:57.040 - the torch to the future generation, 00:10:57.040 --> 00:11:03.106 - those that will come after us. And so we're excited to honor that legacy and we're excited to launch 00:11:03.106 --> 00:11:08.030 - this store today. So you have a QR code and you have shopbgc.org in your program. 00:11:08.194 --> 00:11:12.608 - And you'll get a discount code if you use that before the end of February. So get 15% off. And there's 00:11:12.608 --> 00:11:17.108 - some merchandise we're launching today, but we're going to continue to add to this store. And of course, 00:11:17.108 --> 00:11:21.522 - all the proceeds will go to the club. So you'll help us to spread the good word about what's happening 00:11:21.522 --> 00:11:25.807 - at the club and the community. And we'll make a little money off of it as well. And it'll be just a 00:11:25.807 --> 00:11:30.092 - great win-win for us. So please check out that store today or after you leave and take that program 00:11:30.092 --> 00:11:31.678 - with you so that you can look at it. 00:11:32.194 --> 00:11:37.064 - You're going to see a lot of things showcased today. You're going to hear about numbers. You're going 00:11:37.064 --> 00:11:41.935 - to hear about growth. You're going to hear about our buildings. And you're going to hear from kids as 00:11:41.935 --> 00:11:47.092 - well. We run over 100 specialty programs in our club. And you're going to see just some of those showcased. 00:11:47.092 --> 00:11:52.010 - One of our programs that we have at all of our clubs is photography. So our photography club kids wave 00:11:52.010 --> 00:11:57.310 - at us in the back. They're back there. These are our Lincoln Street photography club kids from the teen group. 00:11:57.410 --> 00:12:01.956 - And thanks to David and Martha Moore and the Farr Center for Contemporary Arts, we have cameras at all 00:12:01.956 --> 00:12:06.812 - of our clubs, and our photography club is funded really well, and we're able to teach kids about photography. 00:12:06.812 --> 00:12:11.314 - And so they're back there at the photo booth, so on your way out, if you've got time, stop back there 00:12:11.314 --> 00:12:15.860 - and get your photo taken, and watch for the photography from our kids coming out in the next few days. 00:12:15.860 --> 00:12:17.758 - So we're thankful to have them back there. 00:12:18.402 --> 00:12:22.845 - The next thing I want to talk about is our annual report. So you'll get a lot of information today. 00:12:22.845 --> 00:12:27.421 - I hope you remember every single thing that we say, but we know that you won't, and so it's all right. 00:12:27.421 --> 00:12:31.997 - We've got an annual report where you can see all of it. You can scan the QR code for our annual report 00:12:31.997 --> 00:12:36.440 - or go to our website. It's also in the program. And we will have paper copies, too, if you prefer a 00:12:36.440 --> 00:12:40.928 - paper copy. But we love to be able to give you a little more detail and share the stories about what 00:12:40.928 --> 00:12:45.504 - it is that you have all helped us do and the success that you have helped us have throughout the year. 00:12:45.504 --> 00:12:46.526 - So thank you for that. 00:12:46.978 --> 00:12:55.907 - We've had lots of success this year, and I want to share a little bit about, well, we'll start with 00:12:55.907 --> 00:13:05.015 - the kids, because that's what we're here to talk about. This past year, we served more kids than ever 00:13:05.015 --> 00:13:14.123 - before. More kids than ever before. 3,217 kids were registered club members in 2025. That is 941 more 00:13:14.123 --> 00:13:15.998 - kids than last year. 00:13:18.242 --> 00:13:24.331 - That's a lot more kids. That's our goal, to serve all the kids who need us most. And we're going to 00:13:24.331 --> 00:13:30.419 - continue to hear the theme of growth throughout the year. On any given day, across our now six club 00:13:30.419 --> 00:13:36.812 - sites, we had as many as 708 kids rely on the club each and every day, which is about 45 more kids every 00:13:36.812 --> 00:13:42.901 - day than we had last year. So huge numbers we're seeing. The need is great, and you are allowing us 00:13:42.901 --> 00:13:47.102 - to rise to meet it. We serve children ages 5 to 18, school-age kids. 00:13:47.426 --> 00:13:54.641 - In this past year, that included 415 teenagers navigating some of the most important and challenging 00:13:54.641 --> 00:14:02.141 - years of their lives. We served kids from 32 schools across Monroe and Owen counties. With food partners 00:14:02.141 --> 00:14:09.499 - like Community Kitchen and Hoosierfield's Food Bank, we provided 62,184 meals and snacks. We feed kids 00:14:09.499 --> 00:14:14.142 - every single day, and we could not do it without those partners. 00:14:14.274 --> 00:14:20.447 - We are the second largest daily food provider to kids in Monroe County behind only the school systems. 00:14:20.447 --> 00:14:26.560 - We supported 503 kids during fall and spring break when school was out, but the need for high quality 00:14:26.560 --> 00:14:32.793 - programming and engagement did not stop. And the same goes for summer when we had 2,787 kids registered 00:14:32.793 --> 00:14:38.787 - this past summer. We open our doors for 10 weeks at 7 AM and we do not close them until 7 PM. So we 00:14:38.787 --> 00:14:43.102 - are here all day with kids during the summer because kids need us then. 00:14:43.554 --> 00:14:48.842 - They need to be enriched and they need to remember some of the stuff they learned in school. So when 00:14:48.842 --> 00:14:54.235 - they hit it in the fall, they haven't forgotten it all. They need to have fun. They need to play. They 00:14:54.235 --> 00:14:59.575 - need to get outside. They need to interact with each other. And families need the child's care at low 00:14:59.575 --> 00:15:04.863 - or no cost over the summer. And so we are thankful to be able to provide that because of all of you. 00:15:04.863 --> 00:15:10.099 - Accessibility is at the heart of everything we do. None of this is free. It all costs money. But we 00:15:10.099 --> 00:15:12.350 - don't charge that to our families in need. 00:15:12.706 --> 00:15:18.725 - We only charge $20 a year for our after school programs for kids and families in Monroe and Owen Counties. 00:15:18.725 --> 00:15:24.462 - Now lots of families donate to us and they pay more because they can, but there are a lot of families 00:15:24.462 --> 00:15:30.200 - that can't. And so we're here for every single kid who needs us and your support is what allows us to 00:15:30.200 --> 00:15:31.550 - charge that $20 a year. 00:15:31.810 --> 00:15:37.760 - It actually costs us about $750 a year to serve a kid. So if we were to charge the families, and let's 00:15:37.760 --> 00:15:43.767 - say they have two, three, four kids, $750 a year, that would be cost prohibitive for a lot of families. 00:15:43.767 --> 00:15:46.078 - As the cost of everything else goes up, 00:15:46.274 --> 00:15:51.804 - We want the cost of our programs to go down so that they have more money to spend on groceries, they 00:15:51.804 --> 00:15:57.445 - have more money to spend on utilities and rent and the things that they really need. And so we're able 00:15:57.445 --> 00:16:02.975 - to keep that cost down only because of all of the people in this room and beyond that have chosen to 00:16:02.975 --> 00:16:08.725 - give and support the Boys and Girls Clubs of Wilmington. Our community needs club kids. There are future 00:16:08.725 --> 00:16:14.419 - teachers, doctors, business owners, caregivers, and leaders. They'll shape what this community becomes. 00:16:14.419 --> 00:16:16.062 - And club kids need all of us. 00:16:16.898 --> 00:16:23.652 - Thank you for being here and for believing in what is possible when we show up for youth. All right, 00:16:23.652 --> 00:16:30.338 - so enough from me now. Try to ignore the cuteness that's happening to my left. But they're going to 00:16:30.338 --> 00:16:37.025 - come around and come up on the stage. And I'm really excited to introduce our first showcase of the 00:16:37.025 --> 00:16:41.438 - day, the Ellitsville Club Cheer and Dance Team. Come on up, guys. 00:21:23.938 --> 00:21:29.435 - Good job, Alexville. It takes a lot of hard work, so I want to give a shout out to staff member Nikki 00:21:29.435 --> 00:21:34.824 - for all the work that she's done with that. Hi, everyone. My name is Jack Lasky, and I serve as the 00:21:34.824 --> 00:21:40.428 - vice president of youth development for the club. I'm here to celebrate the growth that we saw in 2025. 00:21:40.428 --> 00:21:46.302 - I'm excited to share with you how all of your support impacted the growth in our program over the past year. 00:21:47.234 --> 00:21:52.847 - For those of you that might not know, we added a new site this year, and we now serve members at seven 00:21:52.847 --> 00:21:58.297 - sites across Monroe and Owen Counties throughout the year. Here at the Lincoln Street, at the Steve 00:21:58.297 --> 00:22:03.801 - and Connie Ferguson Crestmont Club, the Ellisville Club, Camp Rock on Lake Lemon, and our three Owen 00:22:03.801 --> 00:22:09.687 - County sites. We have a standalone clubhouse in Owen County and two school-based sites, Gosport Elementary, 00:22:09.687 --> 00:22:15.518 - which we opened in the fall of 2024, and Patrick'sburg Elementary, which we opened up just this past fall. 00:22:16.482 --> 00:22:22.849 - The club has truly grown and mobilized in order to support our region in ways that we haven't been able 00:22:22.849 --> 00:22:29.093 - to in the past. There are many in this room who gave and supported the vision of serving kids in Owen 00:22:29.093 --> 00:22:35.399 - County who need us most. And I'm pleased to report that we are now serving as many as 112 kids per day 00:22:35.399 --> 00:22:41.521 - in Owen County. And that number will continue to grow. So we want to say thank you for those who've 00:22:41.521 --> 00:22:44.766 - supported the Owen County clubs with your donations. 00:22:51.810 --> 00:22:56.875 - In honor of the great work, the team that has been doing in Owen County, the Owen County Chamber of 00:22:56.875 --> 00:23:02.142 - Commerce recognized us as the 2025 Nonprofit of the Year. We're pleased to win this award, but are even 00:23:02.142 --> 00:23:07.258 - more pleased to be contributing member to the Owen County community. We're partnering with people in 00:23:07.258 --> 00:23:12.474 - Owen County to add value and improve the quality of life for the residents there. And they've welcomed 00:23:12.474 --> 00:23:16.830 - us to serve the kids and families who need us the most. So again, thank you for that. 00:23:24.002 --> 00:23:30.117 - As we set our eyes on the upcoming year, we have more new and exciting ways to continue to grow and 00:23:30.117 --> 00:23:36.599 - serve more kids. One way we are doing so is by expanding our popular Camp Rock program out at Lake Lemon. 00:23:36.599 --> 00:23:42.836 - In August 2025, we held a ceremonial groundbreaking on a new building that will help us serve 50 more 00:23:42.836 --> 00:23:48.950 - campers a day by the summer of 2027. So we currently serve about 100 kids a day there, so adding 50 00:23:48.950 --> 00:23:50.846 - more will help us grow by 50%. 00:23:51.522 --> 00:23:57.522 - Camp Rock is such a special program for our organization. Kids spend the entire day outdoors, fishing, 00:23:57.522 --> 00:24:03.580 - hiking, canoeing, swimming. They participate in archery, do crafts, sing camp songs, and have a special 00:24:03.580 --> 00:24:09.522 - cookout every Friday. So we're thrilled at the opportunity to have more campers experience the summer 00:24:09.522 --> 00:24:15.348 - on the lake. I was a Camp Rock director for six years, so it held a very special place in my heart. 00:24:15.348 --> 00:24:21.406 - And I'm proud that we're going to be expanding that magic of Camp Rock for more kids and families soon. 00:24:21.570 --> 00:24:29.698 - And if you're a parent in this room that's tried to get into Camp Rock, I think you'll be excited by 00:24:29.698 --> 00:24:37.826 - shorter wait lists and more room for campers. In 2024, we also started a new initiative to help grow 00:24:37.826 --> 00:24:46.035 - the number of kids that we're seeing attending the club daily. We're a drop-in program, so kids don't 00:24:46.035 --> 00:24:47.966 - have to come every day. 00:24:48.226 --> 00:24:53.998 - But our data shows that if we can serve kids three days a week or more, we have a much more significant 00:24:53.998 --> 00:24:59.547 - impact on their lives. So in addition to the growth that Leslie had mentioned in registered members 00:24:59.547 --> 00:25:05.208 - and number of kids attending each day, the number of members who attended 100 days or more per school 00:25:05.208 --> 00:25:08.094 - year increased by 245 members, which is incredible. 00:25:09.090 --> 00:25:14.000 - Our efforts are working and our data is showing the impact is growing. Our National Youth Outcomes 00:25:14.000 --> 00:25:19.108 - Initiative, which is our annual survey data that we receive from our members, went up across the board 00:25:19.108 --> 00:25:24.265 - in almost every single category, which is good as I've seen it in the past 12 years that I've been with 00:25:24.265 --> 00:25:29.274 - the organization. And more regular attendance by members allows us to deepen our impact and serve as 00:25:29.274 --> 00:25:33.886 - a more foundational component for the daily lives and the kids and families that we support. 00:25:36.034 --> 00:25:42.296 - As always, we make this impact by continuing to offer a wide variety of more than 100 special programs 00:25:42.296 --> 00:25:48.376 - that focus on education, arts, health and wellness, and leadership and service. For those programs, 00:25:48.376 --> 00:25:54.699 - those programs include karate, cooking, chess, gardening, skateboarding, soccer, and so much more. This 00:25:54.699 --> 00:26:00.961 - past year we also made the intentional decision to prioritize the growth of educational support at the 00:26:00.961 --> 00:26:04.062 - clubs for kids and families. Our tutoring program, 00:26:04.354 --> 00:26:11.201 - continues to make huge impacts across our sites. And we've increased our efforts. We've seen increased 00:26:11.201 --> 00:26:17.915 - results. So in 2025, nearly 100 volunteers helped us provide free weekly tutoring to 198 members for 00:26:17.915 --> 00:26:24.629 - a total of over 1800 hours of tutoring in 2025. And since our pilot year in 2023, we have grown this 00:26:24.629 --> 00:26:31.542 - program by over 113 members, which is incredible. Big shout out to Kristen for leading that. Let's give 00:26:31.542 --> 00:26:33.470 - Kristen a round of applause. 00:26:34.050 --> 00:26:41.366 - Because our focus on educational support and the great success of the tutoring program, when an opportunity 00:26:41.366 --> 00:26:48.411 - came along to provide these supports over the summer, we explored it. This opportunity came in the form 00:26:48.411 --> 00:26:55.389 - of a new summer learning lab program. The summer learning lab is an evidence-based program that serves 00:26:55.389 --> 00:27:02.502 - as a great opportunity for all students to stay academically engaged over the summer while still getting 00:27:02.502 --> 00:27:03.518 - the experience 00:27:03.874 --> 00:27:09.466 - the joys of summer break. Through the statewide program, the club was able to provide free full-day 00:27:09.466 --> 00:27:15.058 - summer programming to 267 rising first and eighth graders. Each day students received 90 minutes of 00:27:15.058 --> 00:27:21.209 - literacy instruction and 75 minutes of math instruction before jumping into our traditional summer activities 00:27:21.209 --> 00:27:26.856 - like field trips, swimming, arts and crafts, and all the other fun things that you think of when you 00:27:26.856 --> 00:27:28.478 - think of club in the summer. 00:27:29.282 --> 00:27:35.901 - For the academic portion of the day, we partnered with local school districts to hire licensed teachers 00:27:35.901 --> 00:27:42.775 - with the help of Boys and Girls Club staff to serve as teachers' aids in those classrooms. And the teachers 00:27:42.775 --> 00:27:49.139 - we worked with were absolutely fantastic and overwhelmingly excited about the opportunity. And over 00:27:49.139 --> 00:27:55.949 - half of the participants who we served received free and reduced lunch. So the five free weeks of full-day 00:27:55.949 --> 00:27:58.686 - summer programming made a huge difference. 00:27:59.106 --> 00:28:05.274 - in those families. And the results were fantastic. Members that attended the summer learning lab on 00:28:05.274 --> 00:28:11.689 - average saw over 20% growth in English language arts and over 12% increases in math scores in just five 00:28:11.689 --> 00:28:18.043 - weeks. So taking these types of programs on that help raise the bar for youth in our community is what 00:28:18.043 --> 00:28:24.581 - we're all about. And thank you for helping us grow this past year. It has been fun to find the innovative 00:28:24.581 --> 00:28:29.022 - and new ways to serve kids and families in ways that they need us most. 00:28:30.466 --> 00:28:36.573 - So now it's time for another showcase and it is my pleasure to introduce our Owen County Drama Club. 00:28:36.573 --> 00:28:42.014 - We hope that you enjoy their performance and I think they'll be coming up just right now. 00:30:01.890 --> 00:30:09.078 - Look at how special I am. Look at my beautiful shells sparkling in every color of the rainbow. Hello, 00:30:09.078 --> 00:30:16.196 - Sarah. What do you want? Don't you see I'm busy enjoying my beautiful shells? Can I have one of your 00:30:16.196 --> 00:30:22.750 - beautiful sparkly shells? A shell? Give you one of my shells? Never. Get away from me, Toby. 00:30:40.962 --> 00:30:47.741 - What are you looking at? Donnie, should I have the most beautiful shells on the beach? I don't think 00:30:47.741 --> 00:30:52.574 - I want to play with you anymore. Me neither. Wait, where are you going? 00:31:33.026 --> 00:31:47.641 - I have the most beautiful shells on the beach, but no one will play with me. Beauty isn't everything, 00:31:47.641 --> 00:32:02.686 - Sarah. Your shells are lovely, but your heart is gone. But what does my heart have to do with my beauty? 00:32:02.850 --> 00:32:09.257 - I'll tell you what, Sarah. Go to their house, find Grandma. She'll know what to tell you. Grandma, 00:32:09.257 --> 00:32:11.134 - good idea. Thanks, Granddad. 00:32:36.962 --> 00:32:46.442 - Sarah, welcome child. Come have a seat and help grandma with these things. Yes, grandma. Sarah, you 00:32:46.442 --> 00:32:49.950 - seem troubled. What's bothering you? 00:33:01.410 --> 00:33:07.001 - My grandpa said it's my heart. Am I sick? Oh no, my dear. You are perfectly healthy. Listen, Sarah. 00:33:07.001 --> 00:33:12.648 - The secret to having a beautiful heart is sharing. Give away one of your beautiful shells to each of 00:33:12.648 --> 00:33:18.240 - your friends. A shell? Give them one of my shells? But then they won't be special. You'll have less 00:33:18.240 --> 00:33:24.446 - shells, but you'll learn what it truly means to have a beautiful heart. Get my hair so I can walk on the snow. 00:34:17.762 --> 00:34:33.096 - Wait. Hello, Sarah. I want to give you a shell. Just one sparkling shell. Thank you, Sarah. It's a wonderful 00:34:33.096 --> 00:34:45.054 - gift. Can I please have one too, Sarah? Me too. Me too. Me too. Yes, yes, of course. 00:34:52.930 --> 00:35:01.018 - I'm not the only kid with beautiful shells anymore, but I've never been happier. My heart must be beautiful 00:35:01.018 --> 00:35:05.886 - just like our shells. You're the best, Sarah! Let's all go play! 00:35:52.930 --> 00:36:09.444 - She saw her mom back there and so happy her mom was here to watch her. Let's give another round of applause 00:36:09.444 --> 00:36:13.726 - for these Owen County kids. 00:36:22.786 --> 00:36:27.737 - You know, I'm so thankful for these opportunities for kids to be able to do this. Getting in front of 00:36:27.737 --> 00:36:32.737 - all of you is a little scary. A little scary for me. It's a lot scary for them. And I love giving kids 00:36:32.737 --> 00:36:36.766 - opportunities to face those fears. That's what we do every single day at the club. 00:36:36.866 --> 00:36:41.311 - We help kids learn resilience. We help them learn how to grow and how to thrive. And even if they fail 00:36:41.311 --> 00:36:45.756 - 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 00:36:45.756 --> 00:36:50.504 - up and you can try again. But they really nailed it. They did great. So I'm so thankful for this opportunity. 00:36:50.504 --> 00:36:55.078 - Thank you for being such a great audience and a supportive audience and supporting those kids to showcase 00:36:55.078 --> 00:36:57.150 - their talents and what they've been working on. 00:36:57.218 --> 00:37:02.488 - We are so glad the Owen County Club is now part of our organization and the club family and we're actually 00:37:02.488 --> 00:37:07.611 - part of a much larger organization. We're an independent 501c3 with our own board and a lot of autonomy 00:37:07.611 --> 00:37:12.635 - but we're part of what's called the Boys and Girls Club movement. The movement is across the country. 00:37:12.635 --> 00:37:14.654 - We're part of an organization that's got 00:37:14.914 --> 00:37:20.074 - clubs on native lands, on every military installation in the world, in every state in our country. We've 00:37:20.074 --> 00:37:25.234 - got a Boys and Girls Club Alliance where we work together with clubs in the state of Indiana. And across 00:37:25.234 --> 00:37:30.394 - the country we serve 5,500 clubs, are serving 4 million kids through Boys and Girls Clubs. That's really 00:37:30.394 --> 00:37:35.407 - awesome to be part of that network. We share best practices, we support each other, and we love being 00:37:35.407 --> 00:37:36.734 - part of that bigger group. 00:37:37.058 --> 00:37:43.266 - This year, we participated in a collaborative marketing effort with our alliance to tell the power of 00:37:43.266 --> 00:37:49.657 - the club in the state of Indiana. And our very own Kelly King, who's here with us today, she's the owner 00:37:49.657 --> 00:37:55.987 - of 8020 Agency, her and her team videotaped this for us and put this piece together, so we want to show 00:37:55.987 --> 00:38:02.257 - it to you today. One day, a boys and girls club kid will lead your team to the finals. One day, a club 00:38:02.257 --> 00:38:05.726 - kid will save your life. One day, he might be your boss. 00:38:06.914 --> 00:38:22.615 - Or she might find your home. One day a club kid will shape champions, fight for what's just, and serve 00:38:22.615 --> 00:38:36.030 - your community. Think it's unlikely? They're already doing it. Indiana needs club kids. 00:38:36.610 --> 00:38:45.664 - And that's why today, club kids need you. Donate to support your local Boys and Girls Club today. Kelly 00:38:45.664 --> 00:38:54.545 - and her team did such a great job and you might have recognized that gym in the video, the gym you're 00:38:54.545 --> 00:39:03.512 - sitting in right now. I love that message. Our community needs club kids. Bloomington needs club kids. 00:39:03.512 --> 00:39:05.950 - Ellisville needs club kids. 00:39:06.498 --> 00:39:12.078 - Owen County needs club kids. We need what these kids bring to the table. We need them to thrive and 00:39:12.078 --> 00:39:17.546 - grow into, as our mission says, caring, productive, and responsible citizens. And you all provide 00:39:17.546 --> 00:39:23.350 - opportunities for them to do just that. One opportunity you help us to provide is our Youth of the Year 00:39:23.350 --> 00:39:29.153 - program. This is the highest honor that a kid can win at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Bloomington. Young 00:39:29.153 --> 00:39:34.398 - people compete across our organization, and we have one winner from each location every year. 00:39:34.690 --> 00:39:39.580 - And then we have an organizational winner who is our Boys and Girls Clubs of Bloomington Youth of the 00:39:39.580 --> 00:39:44.469 - Year. They go on to compete at a statewide competition, and it's a really great opportunity for them. 00:39:44.469 --> 00:39:49.407 - So at this point, I'm going to invite John and Audrey McCluskey to make their way up to the stage, and 00:39:49.407 --> 00:39:54.248 - I'm going to speak a little bit more about them as they come. The power of this program to give kids 00:39:54.248 --> 00:39:59.330 - opportunities resonated with John and Audrey McCluskey. As they come, I'll tell you that they care deeply 00:39:59.330 --> 00:40:02.014 - for the club and the work that we do with young people. 00:40:02.178 --> 00:40:07.598 - and wanted to create something special that would leave a legacy for the future. But they also wanted 00:40:07.598 --> 00:40:13.019 - to help provide support to kids now. Ultimately, the John A. McCluskey Jr. Youth of the Year Fund was 00:40:13.019 --> 00:40:18.545 - formed. We had lots of conversations about what that would look like and how we would support our kids, 00:40:18.545 --> 00:40:23.913 - and I'm excited to share a little bit more about that with you today, and they'll share a little bit 00:40:23.913 --> 00:40:29.758 - as well. Today, we are going to give away our first scholarship for that fund for our 2025 Youth of the Year. 00:40:30.146 --> 00:40:37.142 - But before we do, I will let John and Audrey tell you a little bit more about kind of why they had a 00:40:37.142 --> 00:40:44.207 - passion for this program specifically, why they wanted to pour into youth and share a little bit more 00:40:44.207 --> 00:40:51.341 - about their heart for the Boys and Girls Club. So please welcome John and Audrey McCluskey. Thank you. 00:40:51.341 --> 00:40:55.358 - It's wonderful to be here and see so many familiar faces. 00:40:55.522 --> 00:41:06.904 - But first, I want to thank Leslie. She's done just a phenomenal job. She had some big shoes to fill 00:41:06.904 --> 00:41:18.286 - after Jeff Baldwin, but she more than filled them and in heels. So in terms of this boys club, it's 00:41:18.286 --> 00:41:23.294 - meant so much to our family over the years. 00:41:24.258 --> 00:41:32.188 - When we moved to Bloomington about 40 years ago, we had three small boys in tow. The first thing, we 00:41:32.188 --> 00:41:40.511 - were looking for places to absorb some of their restless energy. So we found three places in Bloomington. 00:41:40.511 --> 00:41:48.363 - And of course, the Boys Club, it was then called the Boys Club, was one of them. But the first stop 00:41:48.363 --> 00:41:50.718 - was to the library because we 00:41:51.074 --> 00:41:58.623 - wanted to be educated so we wanted to make sure that they knew where the public library we have a phenomenal 00:41:58.623 --> 00:42:05.757 - public library the next place was a YMCA because we like to stay fit and we want to keep them busy and 00:42:05.757 --> 00:42:13.029 - then the third place of course is this foundational place the Boys Club here on Lincoln and it has meant 00:42:13.029 --> 00:42:14.622 - so much to us now John 00:42:15.042 --> 00:42:22.527 - who was a football guy, played football in college, high school and college, and he came here, you know, 00:42:22.527 --> 00:42:29.299 - soccer was on the rise, and he didn't know very much about soccer, but he learned. He learned, 00:42:29.299 --> 00:42:36.713 - he saw videos, he read books, et cetera, and coached boys' club soccer here at the boys' club. And they 00:42:36.713 --> 00:42:39.422 - went on to be champions, I think. So. 00:42:44.002 --> 00:42:51.266 - And not only did he coach soccer, which was football, he also coached basketball. And I think they also 00:42:51.266 --> 00:42:58.321 - won. So a big birthday was coming up for John, and family and friends were coming from all over. And 00:42:58.321 --> 00:43:05.655 - I knew they would bring gifts. And I said, well, we are in that stage now, but we're thinking more about 00:43:05.655 --> 00:43:09.566 - legacy rather than just gifts, ties and shirts and all. 00:43:09.666 --> 00:43:16.616 - And so that's when the thought in my conversations with Jeff began about a fund, a sustainable fund 00:43:16.616 --> 00:43:23.706 - in John's name because he really loved all the work that he did here. And so that was the germination 00:43:23.706 --> 00:43:30.795 - and we worked out all the details and I think we have a sustainable program that can go on for years. 00:43:30.795 --> 00:43:36.286 - And so we are just very, very delighted to have this opportunity to give back. 00:43:36.674 --> 00:43:39.902 - And so John now will talk a little bit more about it. 00:44:14.146 --> 00:44:22.741 - Okay. So it was a little less than five decades ago, and the oldest son, with three sons, the oldest 00:44:22.741 --> 00:44:31.250 - one was seven years old, the youngest who was still in diapers. So none of them were tall enough to 00:44:31.250 --> 00:44:40.015 - do slam dunks on any of these baskets. So we looked around and said, well, okay, where can they expend 00:44:40.015 --> 00:44:42.398 - this energy that they have? 00:44:43.042 --> 00:44:50.053 - We found the library. We found the church. And then we found this place because it was a place where 00:44:50.053 --> 00:44:57.064 - they could come and just hang out. It was a safe place. And they could come have fun. But they could 00:44:57.064 --> 00:45:04.145 - also learn the skill and the art of athletics. It was not kickball or dodgeball. There was a grace to 00:45:04.145 --> 00:45:10.462 - soccer. There was a grace to basketball. They learned to win. They learned to accept loss. 00:45:10.818 --> 00:45:19.037 - but they also learned to learn from that loss. And they went on through their lives to do interesting 00:45:19.037 --> 00:45:27.417 - things. When I asked them a couple nights ago, I said, what sticks out in your mind about the Boys Club 00:45:27.417 --> 00:45:35.797 - experience? And yes, they were the, when the fathers would join the boys at Lake Lemon for an overnight 00:45:35.797 --> 00:45:39.262 - on Friday night, okay, they're mosquitoes. 00:45:40.290 --> 00:45:49.309 - Nobody slept. There were the great basketball games in this site that we have here. There were the great 00:45:49.309 --> 00:45:58.070 - soccer matches along the way. All of those were great fun. But what stuck out were the relationships. 00:45:58.070 --> 00:46:06.659 - And the youngest one who was in diapers when he arrived here said, you know, what is most important 00:46:06.659 --> 00:46:09.150 - to me are the relationships. 00:46:10.146 --> 00:46:18.312 - Five boys who never met on one team are now good friends, and coming back from a ski club, a ski weekend 00:46:18.312 --> 00:46:26.168 - in Colorado, they've become the best of friends for 45 years. And I'm thinking, to a 12-year-old, 45 00:46:26.168 --> 00:46:34.179 - doesn't mean very, very much. You're not aiming for that. You're aiming to do a slam dunk or something 00:46:34.179 --> 00:46:39.934 - else. But as we grow older, we realize that there's something to cherish. 00:46:40.322 --> 00:46:50.632 - and to be supported as much as we possibly can. So I'm very, very proud of that pillar of our experience 00:46:50.632 --> 00:47:01.040 - here. It's a winner, that's all I can say. And hopefully your support will continue as we all go forward. 00:47:01.040 --> 00:47:03.102 - Thank you very much. 00:47:12.738 --> 00:47:17.466 - than John. I'm going to have them stay up here because we are going to invite our Youth of the Year 00:47:17.466 --> 00:47:22.383 - to receive her scholarship now. So I want to tell you a little bit about Ariana. She was our Ellisville 00:47:22.383 --> 00:47:27.111 - Club Youth of the Year winner and then she won our organizational award. She represents the mission 00:47:27.111 --> 00:47:30.846 - of the organization with excellence and dedication. She's a leader by example. 00:47:31.170 --> 00:47:35.757 - She continues to grow. She challenges the status quo. She asks thoughtful questions. She pours into 00:47:35.757 --> 00:47:40.436 - other members and her peers, and they look up to her. They really were excited and happy for her when 00:47:40.436 --> 00:47:45.069 - she won this Youth of the Year award, and they celebrated her, which is another great characteristic 00:47:45.069 --> 00:47:49.748 - of all of us. We learned how to celebrate each other and be happy for each other. It was fun to watch 00:47:49.748 --> 00:47:51.262 - them to do that for you, Ariana. 00:47:51.330 --> 00:47:56.652 - She continues to grow and has been with us and is an excellent representation of our organization. She 00:47:56.652 --> 00:48:01.923 - won the Youth of the Year Award for our org, and she went on to the state competition. And she placed 00:48:01.923 --> 00:48:07.090 - fifth in the state competition in the top five as a freshman. And the other ones that placed in the 00:48:07.090 --> 00:48:12.309 - top five were all seniors. So we were pretty proud of Ariana and the work she did. Please welcome up 00:48:12.309 --> 00:48:14.014 - Ariana. Come on up here, Ariana. 00:48:25.282 --> 00:48:37.013 - and he's gonna take our picture. Ariana, come right here. We're gonna give that to you, yeah. Wonderful, 00:48:37.013 --> 00:48:48.185 - thank you guys. Congratulations. Congrats, good work. You wanna say something? Yeah, go for it. And 00:48:48.185 --> 00:48:52.766 - then I just wanted to thank everyone for 00:48:53.474 --> 00:48:59.262 - encouraging me and helping me to get through this journey for youth of the year. Thank you. 00:49:09.506 --> 00:49:13.911 - was really good she was very nervous but at the state competition they have to give their speech about 00:49:13.911 --> 00:49:18.358 - six or seven different times so by the last time she really had it down and you could tell those nerves 00:49:18.358 --> 00:49:22.634 - sort of went away but that was almost a year ago now that she was up at the state competition so we 00:49:22.634 --> 00:49:27.039 - are really proud of our youth of the year and we're excited because we're about to crown another youth 00:49:27.039 --> 00:49:31.486 - of the year as well but really great to have opportunities to really recognize and honor our club kids. 00:49:31.714 --> 00:49:37.014 - volunteers and people who want to make a difference like the McCluskys really help us to get this done. 00:49:37.014 --> 00:49:42.212 - Actually, I couldn't have said it better than John. He said it's all about relationships, and that is 00:49:42.212 --> 00:49:47.461 - true. There are so many people that make it possible to do what it is that we do, and a lot of you are 00:49:47.461 --> 00:49:52.711 - in this room right now. But volunteers are also a part of that picture. We love our staff, but we love 00:49:52.711 --> 00:49:57.960 - having volunteers in our building. And in the past year, 2025 alone, we had over 1,000 volunteers give 00:49:57.960 --> 00:50:01.680 - their time, energy, and talent to our youth, and they contributed 13,400 00:50:01.680 --> 00:50:08.267 - 486 hours in service. Those hours matter. They represent homework help after a long day of school. They 00:50:08.267 --> 00:50:14.728 - represent encouragement when it feels hard. Consistent adult support is what kids need to thrive, and 00:50:14.728 --> 00:50:21.062 - these volunteers have showed them that they're capable of more than they think they are. They serve 00:50:21.062 --> 00:50:27.396 - as board members, they serve as advisors, tutors, mentors, and program partners. They're the adults 00:50:27.396 --> 00:50:31.070 - who recognize potential before kids see it in themselves. 00:50:31.298 --> 00:50:38.209 - and they show up week after week because they believe in the future of our kids. So if you have volunteered 00:50:38.209 --> 00:50:44.736 - at a fundraising event, in a program with our kids, if you have been on the board of directors in any 00:50:44.736 --> 00:50:51.455 - capacity or you represent an organization who volunteers or sends volunteers, I'm gonna ask you to stand 00:50:51.455 --> 00:50:57.918 - up and be recognized at this time, please. Let's get a little hand for our volunteers. Come on board 00:50:57.918 --> 00:51:01.054 - members, join us. Volunteers, community leaders, 00:51:01.186 --> 00:51:07.991 - Thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Those volunteer hours are so valuable. We calculated those 00:51:07.991 --> 00:51:14.730 - savings, and it's very conservative calculation, but they're around $98,000 in savings with volunteer 00:51:14.730 --> 00:51:21.799 - hours that we didn't have to pay staff or our partners to come in and run programs. So it's a huge savings 00:51:21.799 --> 00:51:26.622 - to the organization when volunteers are a part of what it is that we do. 00:51:26.786 --> 00:51:31.765 - And I think that's a good segue to introduce to you our VP of Finance and Administration, Matt Gargiulo, 00:51:31.765 --> 00:51:36.602 - and he's gonna tell you a little bit more about our financial success that you allowed us to have. So 00:51:36.602 --> 00:51:37.598 - please welcome Matt. 00:51:49.730 --> 00:51:55.865 - Hi everyone, my name is Matt Gargiulo and I have the privilege of serving as the VP of Finance here 00:51:55.865 --> 00:52:02.184 - at the Boys and Girls Club. This is my third report to really reflect on the impact of our community's 00:52:02.184 --> 00:52:08.872 - investment in young people across Monroe and Owen Counties. Oh goodness, 2025 was truly a year of remarkable 00:52:08.872 --> 00:52:12.062 - growth financially, operationally, and missionally. 00:52:12.162 --> 00:52:19.213 - Even with the uncertainty that we experienced with some government funding in our state and federal 00:52:19.213 --> 00:52:26.475 - sources, our local community stepped forward in powerful ways to really ensure that our clubs remained 00:52:26.475 --> 00:52:33.738 - a stable and high quality resource for kids and families. In 2025, our operating budget, our operating 00:52:33.738 --> 00:52:40.788 - revenue reached $4.1 million that met and exceeded our budget goals. And it took a lot of different 00:52:40.788 --> 00:52:42.128 - ways to get there. 00:52:42.128 --> 00:52:49.086 - The success of that goal reflects the generosity of thousands of individuals, small businesses, 00:52:49.086 --> 00:52:56.479 - civic groups, corporations and community partners, all of you. 2.3 million of that, 56% of our budget 00:52:56.479 --> 00:53:03.872 - came directly from individuals, individual donors and local businesses. That is a remarkable feat and 00:53:03.872 --> 00:53:11.265 - I continue to just thank you for that investment. Your support, it is a testament to the heart of our 00:53:11.265 --> 00:53:12.062 - community. 00:53:12.162 --> 00:53:27.230 - Thank you for continuing to invest in our mission and our kids. 00:53:27.394 --> 00:53:33.295 - It also came from innovative partnerships and programs like the summer learning labs program that you 00:53:33.295 --> 00:53:39.138 - heard a little bit about and from private charitable foundations of all shapes and sizes. So overall 00:53:39.138 --> 00:53:45.386 - in a year of leadership transition and uncertainty, I am proud to say that we have also controlled expenses 00:53:45.386 --> 00:53:51.460 - well and we have stewarded the resources that we received. We can collectively ended with a net positive 00:53:51.460 --> 00:53:53.022 - revenue of nearly $53,000. 00:53:54.082 --> 00:54:00.163 - Every year when I compile this report, I am reminded of how deeply invested our community is in this 00:54:00.163 --> 00:54:06.183 - mission. And these numbers, they represent people, people who believe in great futures for our kids 00:54:06.183 --> 00:54:12.444 - across Monroe and Owen counties. So if you like the data and numbers like I do and want more, make sure 00:54:12.444 --> 00:54:18.585 - that you check out our annual report for more details. It's important to know that these numbers only 00:54:18.585 --> 00:54:20.030 - tell part of the story. 00:54:20.162 --> 00:54:25.955 - This past year, every key mission-aligned metric, they continued to move in the right direction. We 00:54:25.955 --> 00:54:31.400 - served more kids. We strengthened our program quality. We invested intentionally in our staff 00:54:31.400 --> 00:54:37.193 - and infrastructure. We intentionally continued the legacy of being good stewards of our community's 00:54:37.193 --> 00:54:40.958 - investment through ensuring that every dollar supports our youth 00:54:41.026 --> 00:54:47.507 - cares for our beautiful facilities and helps position us for continued impact in 2026 and beyond. So 00:54:47.507 --> 00:54:53.667 - as we celebrate 70 years, I recognize that this progress, it stands on the shoulders of decades 00:54:53.667 --> 00:55:00.148 - of leadership, generosity and belief in this mission. And really the opportunities that you've heard 00:55:00.148 --> 00:55:06.564 - about of being able to respond to needs in communities around us and right here in our backyard, we 00:55:06.564 --> 00:55:10.992 - celebrate today all of that, that we really only are able to do this 00:55:10.992 --> 00:55:16.346 - because of the legacy that was built by those who came before, including many of you in this room in 00:55:16.346 --> 00:55:21.646 - so many different ways. You've poured your time, your talent, and your treasure into the clubs year 00:55:21.646 --> 00:55:27.106 - after year. So thank you for being a part of our story. Thank you for helping create great futures for 00:55:27.106 --> 00:55:32.406 - thousands of children and youth in our community. And thank you for investing in our mission and in 00:55:32.406 --> 00:55:38.078 - our kids. At this time, I'd like to welcome back to our stage our VP of Resource Development, Darcy Casey. 00:55:46.466 --> 00:55:54.337 - Hi, everybody. I'm Darcy Casey. I'm the VP of Resource Development here at the club. So good to see 00:55:54.337 --> 00:56:02.758 - you all. This time last year, I was on this stage. I was a little bit rounder. I was seven months pregnant 00:56:02.758 --> 00:56:11.022 - with my daughter, Delta. She's nine months old and crawling and eating noodles now. But I was only about 00:56:11.022 --> 00:56:12.990 - a month into my new job. 00:56:13.250 --> 00:56:21.462 - into this role, I landed my dream job. And I was meeting all of you for the very first time. I was a 00:56:21.462 --> 00:56:29.999 - little shaky. I'm probably still a little shaky. But I know and I knew then that I'm in the right place. 00:56:29.999 --> 00:56:38.130 - The reason I believe that this mission is so crucial is rooted in my experience as a working mom. I 00:56:38.130 --> 00:56:42.846 - know how challenging it can be to balance work and family 00:56:43.330 --> 00:56:50.041 - and how important it is to feel supported while building your career. That's exactly what the Boys and 00:56:50.041 --> 00:56:56.882 - Girls Club provides. Support for the kids who need us most, obviously, to all become caring, productive, 00:56:56.882 --> 00:57:03.528 - responsible citizens, but also support for the mothers and the families in this community and in this 00:57:03.528 --> 00:57:08.414 - room. Every mom deserves to have this experience, to have their dream job. 00:57:09.090 --> 00:57:16.512 - Just remember that for every kid we serve, there's a mom or a caretaker behind them who is able to pursue 00:57:16.512 --> 00:57:23.654 - their dreams just like me. And that wouldn't be possible without all of you. So thank you. The donors 00:57:23.654 --> 00:57:30.656 - in this room really showed up for young people who needed us most this year. As Matt mentioned, for 00:57:30.656 --> 00:57:36.958 - the past 70 years, we've relied heavily on the generosity of individual community members 00:57:37.410 --> 00:57:47.425 - Everyone here has played a part in that history. In 2025, 1,375 community members donated to the club. 00:57:47.425 --> 00:57:57.149 - 76% of that came from people living right here in this community, so local dollars supporting local 00:57:57.149 --> 00:58:02.302 - kids. We also welcomed 577 new donors to our family. 00:58:02.402 --> 00:58:09.244 - So if you're sitting here today, as Leslie mentioned, welcome to the movement. Your support is changing 00:58:09.244 --> 00:58:16.416 - lives. Some of the most exciting ways that we raise funds throughout the year are events, which collectively 00:58:16.416 --> 00:58:23.061 - generate over half a million dollars. But these aren't events, they're just not about raising funds. 00:58:23.061 --> 00:58:29.640 - They're about connection, visibility, and creating experiences where our community actively invests 00:58:29.640 --> 00:58:31.614 - in the lives of young people. 00:58:33.570 --> 00:58:40.475 - This past May, we hosted our Boys to Men event, which focuses on mentorship, character development, 00:58:40.475 --> 00:58:47.794 - and positive role models for young men in our clubs. We were honored to welcome someone who you no longer 00:58:47.794 --> 00:58:55.390 - have to Google, Indiana University head football coach and national championship title winner, Kurt Signetti. 00:58:56.194 --> 00:59:02.237 - The event was emceed by the voice of the Hoosiers, Don Fisher. And we are grateful to have IU football 00:59:02.237 --> 00:59:08.163 - players, including our own Khalil Benson, in attendance, serving as real life examples of leadership 00:59:08.163 --> 00:59:14.088 - and commitment. We recognize our Men in Leadership award winner, Cal Richard Kinman, who personifies 00:59:14.088 --> 00:59:20.014 - our mission at the Ellitsville club as the team director. In September, we hosted Smart Girls Strong 00:59:20.014 --> 00:59:25.470 - Women, which helps fund smart girls programming and promotes healthy lifestyles, confidence, 00:59:25.666 --> 00:59:31.606 - positive relationships and leadership for girls ages eight to 18. The evening was emceed by 00:59:31.606 --> 00:59:38.385 - Sherry Dunbar-Cruzan and featured keynote speaker Vera Jones, an award-winning broadcaster, motivational 00:59:38.385 --> 00:59:44.970 - speaker in Boys and Girls Clubs of America alumna. A special moment of the evening was a presentation 00:59:44.970 --> 00:59:51.685 - of the Anne St. John Strong Woman Award. Honoring our club staff member, Ms. LaTanya, our unit director 00:59:51.685 --> 00:59:54.590 - at the Stephen Conny Ferguson Cresmont Club. 00:59:55.842 --> 01:00:04.303 - We also had Golf Heroes. It's another event that reflects a power of the teamwork. At Rolling Meadows 01:00:04.303 --> 01:00:12.681 - Golf Course, 18 dedicated players came together to support the Ellisville Club, where as many as 263 01:00:12.681 --> 01:00:21.308 - kids attend every day, making it our largest club. I think we should give a round of applause for that. 01:00:21.308 --> 01:00:22.718 - Their commitment 01:00:23.458 --> 01:00:29.942 - Their commitment directly supported programs, mentorship, and opportunities for kids. In 2025, we are 01:00:29.942 --> 01:00:36.426 - also the recipients of the annual 100 Cooks Who Care event presented by Old National Bank. This event 01:00:36.426 --> 01:00:43.164 - brought chefs of all skill levels, repping their favorite TV shows, and brought us alongside Big Brothers 01:00:43.164 --> 01:00:47.550 - Big Sisters to raise over $100,000 in profits for each organization. 01:00:48.354 --> 01:00:55.492 - We actually did a lot of cooking in costumes this year in 2025 because we also, thanks to the hard work 01:00:55.492 --> 01:01:02.562 - of Brandy Hamilton, our Owen County Community Director, we were thrilled to launch our first signature 01:01:02.562 --> 01:01:09.426 - event in Owen County, Owen County Cooks for Kids. Thanks to our friends at Old National for letting 01:01:09.426 --> 01:01:12.926 - us repurpose and reuse this event, we were able to 01:01:13.218 --> 01:01:20.419 - bring it to a new community. We exceeded our thirty thousand dollar goal in the first year and have 01:01:20.419 --> 01:01:27.764 - our sights set on doubling that in twenty twenty six. We also hosted the second annual One Love event 01:01:27.764 --> 01:01:34.965 - which supports the One Love needs and scholarship fund. This fund ensures club youth have access to 01:01:34.965 --> 01:01:38.494 - urgent needs like clothing shoes school supplies 01:01:38.850 --> 01:01:46.574 - hygiene items, while also supporting scholarships from alumni to pursue education or entering the workforce. 01:01:46.574 --> 01:01:54.157 - Thanks to the generosity of this community and a huge thanks to Terry Eads, who is little Jackie. Remember 01:01:54.157 --> 01:02:01.598 - the membership card? It's his wife that we told you about earlier. Her and her family and Rebecca Thomas 01:02:01.598 --> 01:02:05.566 - poured their heart into this and raised nearly $35,000. 01:02:06.306 --> 01:02:14.248 - We also benefited from a lot of other community support, little auctions and fundraisers throughout 01:02:14.248 --> 01:02:22.349 - the community. Here's a couple of notable ones. The Barbie Convention. Andrew Davis and IU Basketball 01:02:22.349 --> 01:02:26.558 - paired up to give us a significant gift. Bob Knight. 01:02:26.658 --> 01:02:33.222 - memorabilia auction. We actually had in possession one of his chairs that he used to eat ice cream in. 01:02:33.222 --> 01:02:39.659 - And so we auctioned that off. Kelly Women's MBA auction, and of course, our longtime supporters, the 01:02:39.659 --> 01:02:46.160 - Auxiliary. And they've been around almost as long as we have, as long as the Boys and Girls Club. But 01:02:46.160 --> 01:02:50.494 - they had an incredible year. The Strawberry Shortcake Festival sold 01:02:50.818 --> 01:02:58.691 - 4,000 cakes and 340 kits, and they added a relatively new addition, which is the 5K event, which doubled 01:02:58.691 --> 01:03:06.714 - in attendance this year. So, so many fun events and small and large fundraisers, but thank you to everyone 01:03:06.714 --> 01:03:14.287 - who attended, sponsored, donated to, or raised your paddle to sponsor a child or purchase an auction 01:03:14.287 --> 01:03:20.286 - item at any of these events I mentioned. If that is you and you are here today, 01:03:20.770 --> 01:03:31.698 - I want to ask you to please stand and be recognized at this time. So anybody who has came to Boys to 01:03:31.698 --> 01:03:43.492 - Men or Smart Girls, I see some of you out there. Go ahead and stand up. Yes. Let's give a round of applause. 01:03:43.492 --> 01:03:49.118 - Thank you. Yes. You all bring these events to life. 01:03:49.538 --> 01:03:56.838 - But another thing that I want to talk about is something to celebrate, which truly brings our mission 01:03:56.838 --> 01:04:04.209 - to life as our community events. They allow us to reach young people and families far beyond our daily 01:04:04.209 --> 01:04:11.294 - club members. Across our Ellisville, Ferguson, Cresmont, and Lincoln Street clubs, their community 01:04:11.906 --> 01:04:18.588 - put on Halloween parties, a Thanksgiving dinner, and brought families together for a true sense of community. 01:04:18.588 --> 01:04:24.906 - And we couldn't have done it without your support and the amazing staff members at each of these clubs. 01:04:24.906 --> 01:04:31.102 - Our Spring Fling Father Figure Daughter Dance presented by Service Master and our Fall Ball sponsored 01:04:31.102 --> 01:04:37.359 - by Old National Bank and Harris Services continue to create meaningful events and moments for families 01:04:37.359 --> 01:04:38.878 - of all shapes and sizes. 01:04:40.866 --> 01:04:48.151 - We had over 400 attendees at these events. But what makes these events especially meaningful is that 01:04:48.151 --> 01:04:55.581 - they're free, open to all, made possible by our generous sponsors and donors. Because of you, the club 01:04:55.581 --> 01:05:02.866 - is not just a place where kids go after school. It's a place where families gather, traditions grow, 01:05:02.866 --> 01:05:09.214 - and the entire community feels welcome. So thank you for making these moments possible. 01:05:10.402 --> 01:05:18.475 - Our most recognized community event is Lemonade Day, presented by our friends at Cook Medical. It remains 01:05:18.475 --> 01:05:26.471 - one of the most far reaching programs. In 2025, more than 900 young entrepreneurs participated, learning 01:05:26.471 --> 01:05:34.086 - lifelong skills around earning, saving, and sharing. Lemonade Day is truly a year round experience. 01:05:34.086 --> 01:05:35.838 - It kicks off in March. 01:05:36.066 --> 01:05:43.847 - And then in May, we host a University Day where our community members come and teach our kids how to 01:05:43.847 --> 01:05:51.551 - run a small business. University Day is in May, and then it's followed by Lemonade Day on June 7th. 01:05:51.551 --> 01:05:53.246 - It will be this year. 01:05:53.346 --> 01:06:00.420 - This program wouldn't be possible without our Lemon Council. They're dedicated volunteers who plan to 01:06:00.420 --> 01:06:07.564 - teach and show up for our kids. They're really the heart of this program, and they're simply the zest. 01:06:07.564 --> 01:06:13.182 - That one's for you, Laura. Let's give a round of applause for the Lemon Council. 01:06:20.130 --> 01:06:27.993 - Okay, I wanna spend the rest of my time on stage today, recognizing all of you, the people and the partners 01:06:27.993 --> 01:06:36.001 - who keep our membership fees affordable so that we can serve more kids than ever, just like Leslie mentioned. 01:06:36.001 --> 01:06:43.427 - While families pay just $20 a year, it costs us about 750 to serve each child. Because so many people 01:06:43.427 --> 01:06:46.558 - in this room said yes to sponsoring a kid, 01:06:46.882 --> 01:06:55.798 - Through our annual board led fundraising efforts, we raised $272,000. That means in 2025, you all opened 01:06:55.798 --> 01:07:04.544 - that blue door for about 362 kids to walk into the club and be changed for good. Thank you so much for 01:07:04.544 --> 01:07:11.422 - sponsoring kids through our Our Kids campaign and Big Hearts campaign this year. 01:07:11.522 --> 01:07:27.337 - If you have sponsored a child for $750 a year, which is one child or multiple children through our annual 01:07:27.337 --> 01:07:38.974 - campaigns, please stand and be recognized at this time. Truly, truly special. 01:07:39.074 --> 01:07:46.303 - to see all of you here, it's really great. The Blue Door that I just mentioned is part of our Blue Door 01:07:46.303 --> 01:07:53.324 - Society. It signals a meaningful commitment, recognizing donors who have supported the club for five 01:07:53.324 --> 01:08:00.275 - or more years. So, if you're a long time supporter, if you've been donating for five or more years, 01:08:00.275 --> 01:08:06.878 - you're in our Blue Door Society. We have over 775 community members who fall in this category. 01:08:07.234 --> 01:08:13.996 - In August, we hosted our eighth annual Blue Door Society Cookout at Camp Rock on Lake Lemon, where we 01:08:13.996 --> 01:08:21.023 - gathered with over 100 attendees and celebrated these longtime supporters. At this event, we also honored 01:08:21.023 --> 01:08:27.851 - our Be Great award winners who are longtime, consistent volunteers. So if you are here, please at this 01:08:27.851 --> 01:08:33.950 - time, would anyone who has given to the club for five years or more stand to be recognized? 01:08:48.354 --> 01:08:55.815 - We're grateful for all of you, all of our partners, including businesses, civic groups, other nonprofits, 01:08:55.815 --> 01:09:03.136 - school corporations, and government entities who support the club at any level. It takes strong support 01:09:03.136 --> 01:09:10.175 - and partnerships to do the work that we do every day. We specifically want to show you those at the 01:09:10.175 --> 01:09:16.862 - top three levels. Our mentors at 2,500, and we can go ahead and give them a round of applause. 01:09:23.554 --> 01:09:39.582 - the champion level at $5,000 and above. And our club heroes at $10,000 plus. These partnerships sustain 01:09:39.582 --> 01:09:51.294 - our work year after year because you believe our community needs club kids. 01:09:51.874 --> 01:09:58.438 - Thank you for supporting young people through sponsorships, grants, and partnerships that create real 01:09:58.438 --> 01:10:04.874 - lasting impact. It takes all kinds of gifts actually, in kind, service trades, discounts, donations 01:10:04.874 --> 01:10:10.988 - from these groups to get things done efficiently and sustainably. If you represent a business, 01:10:10.988 --> 01:10:17.617 - civic group, another nonprofit partner, school corporation, or government partner at any level, please 01:10:17.617 --> 01:10:19.998 - stand to be recognized at this time. 01:10:33.346 --> 01:10:39.978 - We really couldn't do it without you. Another thing that we couldn't think about going further into 01:10:39.978 --> 01:10:46.742 - the future is without our Heritage Club. So the Heritage Club honors those who have chosen to support 01:10:46.742 --> 01:10:53.507 - the Boys and Girls Club of Bloomington for generations to come by including the club and their estate 01:10:53.507 --> 01:11:00.404 - plans. Today, 64 members are recognized on our legacy wall and each making a lasting commitment to kids 01:11:00.404 --> 01:11:01.598 - in our community. 01:11:02.018 --> 01:11:08.700 - As we celebrate 70 years, our goal is to grow that number to 70 members, honoring both our history and 01:11:08.700 --> 01:11:15.966 - our future. So please join me in thanking anyone who has left us in their estate plans or in our Heritage Club. 01:11:24.546 --> 01:11:31.675 - In 2026, the Boys and Girls Clubs of Bloomington were celebrating 70 years. As you can see, lots of 01:11:31.675 --> 01:11:39.375 - birthday decor around turning 70. But for the past 70 years, we've been inspiring young people and building 01:11:39.375 --> 01:11:46.505 - community. We are inviting all alumni of the Boys and Girls Clubs and friends to join or renew your 01:11:46.505 --> 01:11:49.214 - membership and the alumni and friends 01:11:49.314 --> 01:11:58.033 - and even when I got in here today, I've had lots of conversations. Oh, he was in the boys club or, 01:11:58.033 --> 01:12:06.839 - you know, I used to play basketball here. Is anybody here an alumni? Would you consider yourself an 01:12:06.839 --> 01:12:15.294 - alumni? Raise your hand, wave at me. Awesome, let's give them a round of applause. I would love 01:12:15.554 --> 01:12:22.608 - to have conversations with you this year. We're celebrating 70 years. We want to document these stories. 01:12:22.608 --> 01:12:29.460 - We want to share success. So if you can reach out to me and have a story to tell, we're going to have 01:12:29.460 --> 01:12:36.647 - a website landing page for all of these stories, as well as a yearbook to commemorate all of these amazing 01:12:36.647 --> 01:12:43.499 - community members who used to be club alum. So we want to hear your stories, and we hope we all share 01:12:43.499 --> 01:12:45.246 - them with us. In closing, 01:12:46.114 --> 01:12:54.628 - Thank you. Thank you for showing up for our kids, our families, and the working parents and moms like 01:12:54.628 --> 01:13:03.392 - me in this community. Your generation and your generosity makes dreams come true. And now, as a reminder 01:13:03.392 --> 01:13:11.823 - of why we do this work, it's time to hear directly from our kids as we welcome the Ferguson Cresmont 01:13:11.823 --> 01:13:14.494 - Club performance. So you can... 01:13:14.658 --> 01:13:22.283 - Give them a round of applause and I'll tell you a little bit about them while they make their way here. 01:13:22.283 --> 01:13:29.762 - Our final showcase for today is our Stephen Conney Ferguson Cresmont Club Choir with the help of some 01:13:29.762 --> 01:13:37.240 - incredible community members. Our kids have been working hard to learn this song with their own added 01:13:37.240 --> 01:13:41.566 - twist. So join me in welcoming the Ferguson Cresmont Club. 01:19:33.634 --> 01:19:40.754 - She put a lot of work into this today. Way to go, kiddos. All right. So as we begin to wrap up today, 01:19:40.754 --> 01:19:48.084 - I want to share a quick story with you. There was a little girl who dreamed big. She dreamed to be queen 01:19:48.084 --> 01:19:55.553 - of the world. She would be a school principal. She would own an airport. She would run the largest charity 01:19:55.553 --> 01:19:58.974 - in the world and give to everyone who asked her. 01:19:59.810 --> 01:20:04.931 - And she really believed she could. She also had a bunch of baby dolls in her hands because she wanted 01:20:04.931 --> 01:20:10.052 - to be a mom, too. But she was told she was special, that she brought something to the world, that the 01:20:10.052 --> 01:20:15.223 - world needed what it is that she had to give. And doors were opened for her, and people helped her and 01:20:15.223 --> 01:20:20.393 - supported her and spoke into her life and gave her opportunities. Over time, she realized people don't 01:20:20.393 --> 01:20:25.414 - really own international airports, and there's no such thing as queen of the world. But she started 01:20:25.414 --> 01:20:27.422 - to see real possibilities in her lives. 01:20:27.906 --> 01:20:33.339 - Real possibilities that were in front of her and started to work towards those dreams. And she believed 01:20:33.339 --> 01:20:38.721 - she could. She believed she could bring something special to the world. This little girl was me. I had 01:20:38.721 --> 01:20:43.945 - a wonderful support system, parents who loved me and told me I could. My dad who constantly told me 01:20:43.945 --> 01:20:49.170 - that just because I was a girl didn't mean that I couldn't lead and be in every room I wanted to be 01:20:49.170 --> 01:20:54.551 - in. A mom who told me that I was special every single day and that I brought something interesting and 01:20:54.551 --> 01:20:57.790 - unique to the world and the world needed what I had to bring. 01:20:58.402 --> 01:21:04.911 - And every kid deserves that kind of support. To be supported, to feel valued, to be seen, and to understand 01:21:04.911 --> 01:21:10.998 - that they bring something to the world that no one else can. This is my first year as the CEO of the 01:21:10.998 --> 01:21:17.025 - Boys and Girls Club after being here on staff for about 12 years. Today marks 13 months and 13 days 01:21:17.025 --> 01:21:22.750 - on the job, actually. And it's been quite a ride. It's been harder than I thought it would be. 01:21:22.978 --> 01:21:28.930 - It's been more complex than I thought it would be. And it's been the most rewarding year and the most 01:21:28.930 --> 01:21:35.058 - fun I have ever had. I feel like the queen of the world. But it feels different than I thought it would. 01:21:35.058 --> 01:21:40.952 - I don't feel rich because of the title. I feel rich because of the people. Because of each and every 01:21:40.952 --> 01:21:47.021 - one of you. All the people who stand beside us and beside the kids that need us most and make an impact 01:21:47.021 --> 01:21:52.798 - because you believe in the work that we're doing. And more importantly, you believe in those kids. 01:21:53.314 --> 01:21:59.573 - Those kids who stood up here and worked hard to showcase their talents and abilities and stood up here afraid.