Boys and Girls Clubs of Central Virginia

With a belief that all children deserve opportunities for an education and to succeed, Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Virginia offers 40 to 60 programs to children ages 5 to 18 that promote academic success, healthy lifestyles, and good character and leadership. Club programs include high-yield activities in five core areas: character and leadership development; health and life skills; education, technology, and career development; the arts; and sports, fitness, and recreation. High quality programs, combined with affordability and accessibility, are the club'Clubs's most effective strategies in reaching populations experiencing disadvantages. The club is open during critical out-of-school-times, including every day after school, all day during the summer, most school breaks, and select evenings and weekends. To provide access to kids who need us most, club membership fees to families are only $15 to $150 annually and represent less than 2% of the organization's revenue. In fy23, at least 79% of the club'Clubs's registered members qualified for free or reduced-price lunch and 69% represented minority races or ethnicities. Fy23 program highlights included: summer reading, a rising 1st through 4th grade curriculum that helps members maintain or improve reading fluency and comprehension skills; career chats, a workforce readiness program that connects teen members with local professionals across different industries; stem olympics, where members from all Clubs compete in fun team-oriented stem challenges; and racket sports and fitness with the organization's new squash & fitness specialist. Through these and other enrichment programs, building positive relationships between club members and staff are the core of meaningful and memorable experiences. In fy23, 93% of club members reported that adults at the club care about them, and 95% reported that the adults at their club believe they will be a success. In addition to producing measurable results, club programs promote the development of young people by instilling a sense of competence, usefulness, belonging, and influence. The club provides all young people, regardless of circumstances, with opportunities to explore their passions and achieve their goals. Since 1992, the organization has grown from one club serving 50 youth to six Clubs serving 1,400 children and their families. Fy23 included the celebration of Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Virginia's 30th anniversary with clubfest, a community-wide celebration that included club members and staff along with valued partners, donors, and volunteers. Fy23 was also highlighted by the opening of the albemarle campus club, a new 52,000 square-foot freestanding facility. The new club is located within safe walking distance of three public schools on a campus that serves 25% of all albemarle county public school students. The albemarle campus club features youth- and teen-designated spaces, program rooms, a multi-purpose cafe, culinary arts kitchen, stem lab, art studio, two indoor gyms, four squash courts, flex-spaces, outdoor sport courts and fields, and direct access to nature trails. The Boys & Girls club opened the new facility at the request of local school leaders and law enforcement to address long-identified and growing out-of-school-time needs in the area.boys & Girls Clubs of Central Virginia is committed to continuous quality improvement at all levels of the organization. In fy23, the club implemented the evidence-based weikart youth program quality assessment to promote program excellence and safety. The organization also completed an external cybersecurity audit resulting in a satisfactory rating and a follow-up plan for ongoing cybersecurity policies and training.one of the organization's top priorities continues to be deepening its commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. In fy22, the club successfully launched a living wage initiative, providing all staff with at least $15 per hour. The living wage initiative allows the club to attract and retain high quality staff to work with its members every day. As a next step in the living wage initiative in fy23, the club engaged a women-owned third-party consultant to complete a compensation study. The study resulted in unanimous board approval of a new compensation model beginning in fy24 that supports all full-time staff with an equitable and fair wage. This is an especially important step given that 71% of club staff are people of color and 63% are women. Bgccva continues to work toward long-term sustainability of its new compensation model, which has required a significant financial investment by the organization. By aligning the organization's business with its values, the club improves program quality and eliminates barriers to achievement experienced by its members, staff, and families.