What's Going On!

Want a fun place for your kids to spend February Vacation Days? The Boys & Girls Club of Souhegan Valley offers both on-site and trip camps for kids in grades 1-9! Camps run from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. with before care, after care, and specialty/trip camps available for a small additional fee. Kids play in the game room, participate in Arts & Crafts, play recreational sports, go sledding, climb the rock wall, and more!

Do the kids want to do something special on their day off? We're offering trip camps to Conway Ice Arena, Chunky's, Leda Lanes, Pat's Peak for tubing and skiing, and a trip to see a circus! Visit http://www.svbgc.org/ for February vacation camp registration information.

We held our 2nd Open Mic Night for teens in February and were so impressed by the talented teens who participated! Our next Open Mic Night is scheduled for Thursday March 11th. Want more info? Email our Dir. of Teen Outreach John Sefel at jsefel@svbgc.org. Participate as a performer or supporter!

We're serving up some exciting books at our our upcoming Book Fair! Come to the Boys & Girls Club of Souhegan Valley to find the latest and greatest titles for kids, as well as books of interest to parents on February 25th, 26th, 27th and March 5th and 6th - with a special celebration of Dr. Seuss on Saturday February 27th, complete with characters from the books and more! Visit http://www.svbgc.org/ for our book fair website and more info.

Now accepting registrations for 2010-2011 Early Education programs! The Boys & Girls Club of Souhegan Valley's Early Education program is a licensed daycare program providing preschool programs, before and after kindergarten care (with transportation to/from public kindergarten), and enriching extended day care as early as 7 a.m. and as late as 6 p.m. for children from three years to five years of age. Interested in learning more? Join us at our Open House on Saturday February 27th from 11:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. or email Catherine Kendall at ckendall@svbgc.org.

And this event is coming up soon!
Diva Day is coming on March 6th! Join at this event catering to every aspect of a woman's life: exhibits and seminars, shopping, health info, shopping, food sampling, more shopping, and great fun! We're still looking for vendors and sponsors. Visit http://www.svbgc.org/ for more info.

News from the Boys & Girls Club

We hope you and your family had a wonderful holiday! We're excited to be back at the Club - and look forward to a positive, productive and exciting new year!

Did you know we provide early education programs for children as young as three in our state-licensed early education center? Our new preschool and kindergarten-aged programs help kids learn, grow and explore their world in a safe, fun, caring environment. We've added some exciting new enrichment programs for ages 3-5! If you're interested in more info, email Catherine Kendall at ckendall@svbgc.org.

Did you know we provide a state-licensed after school program onsite at Jacques Elementary School? This program, for Kindergarten, Readiness and First Grade students, provide age-appropriate after school activities with a higher staff -to-kid ratio and more structured activities, as appropriate for our younger members. NEW in January - we'll be offering SMART Moves to our Jacques Afterschool members - and more enriching activities are on the way! Want more information? Email Caitlin Hunter or call her at 672-1002.

Did you know we welcomed a new staff member to our organization this fall? John Sefel is our new Director of Teen Outreach. He's been working with the teens after school and facilitating our Keystone Club, a service and leadership club for teens. Want to meet John and discuss the teen programs at the Club? Come to our Parent Council meeting this Wednesday, January 6th at 5:30 p.m.

Did you know we promoted Erica Mariany as our Kids Club Afterschool Director? Erica now developments and manages our afterschool and vacation time programs for kids in grades 2-5 at our Milford facility. Previous to her promotion, Erica worked at the Wilton Site Director and as the Club's Education Director where she oversaw our PowerHour homework program. Erica brings creativity, a background in successful program implementation, and a passion for helping kids "Be Great" to her new role. We look forward to seeing Erica's continued impact on the organization and our members in the months to come!

So Much to be Thankful For!

Even in these trying times, we have so many reasons to be thankful this year!

The Club's recent fall auction fundraiser was one of most successful in terms of people attending and money raised, but also in terms of the support we received from our parent community! Many of you helped to secure donations, sell tickets, donated your own services or talents, and volunteered for the event. I can't tell you how much it meant to our staff, Board of Directors, and supporters to see our parents engaged and supporting our fundraising efforts. You truly made a difference and we THANK YOU!

We welcome about 170 - 180 kids each day after school and another 30-40 most evening for theater rehearsals. We are THANKFUL for the opportunity to spend time with your kids; helping with their homework, helping them discover new talents, helping to keep them safe, helping them explore their creativity, learn teamwork, and so much more!

We are THANKFUL for a supportive Board of Directors who have spent countless hours volunteering to make the Club such a special place in our community. Their support is inspiring - and we thank them for their dedication to help kids BE GREAT!

I am especially THANKFUL for such a wonderful staff - for I know it's not the building that makes the Boys & Girls Club of Souhegan Valley special. It's the people in the building; people who care, who take time to get to know each child who comes through our doors, who wants each child to be successful, to belong to a community that cares about one thing: making anything and everything possible for them.

With THANKS,Susan Taylor, Executive Director/CPO

Riverbend School of Theater Arts Gala

This past weekend, Toby Tarnow, Artistic Director of the Riverbend School of Theater Arts, held a gala in her home for friends and supporters of the theater school. The event was a wonderful affirmation of all the great work Toby has done with the kids in the program.

Thanks to Community Support - Day for Kids a BIG SUCCESS!

Thanks to the support of the community, the Boys & Girls Club of Souhegan Valley's Day for Kids, held on Sunday September 20th, was a BIG SUCCESS!

Volunteers from the Milford Masonic Temple Association processed 95 kids at theKid Safety Check sponsored by New York Life. Roots of Creation jammed all day - drawing kids and families to our event. Bouncy houses, games, and demonstrations from the Silver Lining Circus kept the kids entertained (parents too!). And the Milford Fire, Police and Ambulance departments brought their vehicles down to the Club. The kids LOVED it!

A big thanks to our parent volunteers and teen members who spent their afternoon helping out! What a great day for kids!

Keystone and Torch Club

Keystone and Torch Club: "youth leadership program"

Join us on Tuesday September 22nd from 6:00 – 7:30 p.m. at the Boys & Girls Club of Souhegan Valley, 56 Mont Vernon Street, for the kick-off meeting of the Keystone and Torch Clubs!

Day for Kids 2009

Day for Kids 2009: "The BGC Day for Kids will offer an afternoon of family fun, including music by Roots of Creation, food, games, a free kid safety check sponsored by New York Life, and fire safety demonstrations by the Milford Fire Department. All kids activities are free. All proceeds will support the Boys & Girls Club of Souhegan Valley youth development programs." This event is on Sunday September 20th at the Boys & Girls Club of Souhegan Valley, 56 Mont Vernon Street, Milford NH.