WEST KELOWNA KIDS ENJOY ACTUA SCIENCE SUMMER CAMP

Members of Okanagan Boys & Girls Club Experiment with Science August 23-27, 2010

Actua, a national charity that inspires youth by engaging them in hands-on science and technology experiences, gave a week-long science summer camp at the Webber Road Community Centre for Okanagan Boys & Girls Clubs members. Thanks to a partnership with Boys & Girls Clubs of Canada Actua delivered a fun, hands-on science camp that built self-confidence and inspired our Club kids to imagine amazing futures for themselves.

About 16 members ages 5-12 years from the Webber Road Club participated in the science camp run by two students from the University of Victoria. Kids were involved in experiments and making science and technology related creations.

“The kids have absolutely loved it,” said Patricia Barrows, Program Coordinator at the Webber Road Community Centre. “They have been doing experiments and making creations and walking up and down the halls wearing their lab coats and goggles. It’s been great.”

Disney Online Donates Backpacks

Disney Online Studios, in Kelowna BC, donated 50 backpacks to the Okanagan Boys & Girls Clubs in time for the "back-to-school" season.

Each backpack included school supplies, lunch bag, a Disney DVD and more. Children at the Martin Ave. Club were thrilled to help receive the backpacks and meet some of the Disney Online staff, including Leslie Grieve.

The backpacks will be given to families across the Okanagan who are most in need and will be a great help at this often expensive time of year for parents. Everyone at the Okanagan Boys & Girls Clubs would like to say a big thanks for this great donation to our Clubs and members! 

Golfers gather to Swing in support of Okanagan Kids

20th Annual Capri Charity Golf Classic with Okanagan Boys & Girls Clubs Sells Out For First Time!

Rated by players as the “best golf tournament”, the 20th Annual Capri Chariy Golf Classic SOLD OUT a month ago. The tournament, held each year in support of the programs and services provided by the Okanagan Boys and Girls Clubs, was attended by 144 golfers from companies across Western Canada. This first class tournament is held at The Harvest Golf Club and features 18 holes of golf on the Okanagan’s most prestigious championship golf course, lunch, dinner, prizes, and a great time in support of the kids.

Highlights included interactive stations by hole sponsors featuring fun activities and sampling, like wine from Summerhill Pyramid Winery and Tinhorn Creek, wacky games from Capri Insurance including Jell-O shooters, and black jack as well as two chances for players to win up to $25,000 for a hole-in-one.

While no golfers took home a hole-in-one prize, this year’s tournament raised over $28,000 for the Okanagan Boys and Girls Clubs, $5000 more than the previous year. Capri announced that they will be continuing their sponsorship of the tournament for a further five years.

Over 50% of kids attending the Boys and Girls Clubs come from low income families and attend programs thanks to sponsorships and reduced registration fees. Fundraising events like this tournament are essential to help support these children and youth in our community.

YOUNG GOLFER HELPS “GIRLS WITH CLUBS”

Kyla Inaba shared her skills with 12 girls from Okanagan Boys & Girls Club

Kelowna, BC – Monday August 16, 2010 Kyla Inaba, team member with the Gallagher’s Canyon Golf & Country Club, facilitated a golf clinic for twelve girls, aged 8 to 14, where she taught them how to swing and putt among other best practices, through a program called “Girls With Clubs”. She also gave them advice from her own experience as a young female golfer.

“Find a sport that you love and if you stick with it and practice you never know how far you will go,” said Inaba.

Inaba, an aspiring professional Golf professional and captain of the UBC Women’s Golf Team, approached the Okanagan Boys and Girls Club with the idea and was incredibly happy with the response and the turn out. She hopes to make this an annual event.

The girls all loved the experience which was the first time many of them had ever golfed. Gallagher’s Canyon generously donated the use of the facility including clubs and balls.

Free Advice for Parents from Keith Pattinson and OBGC

A brief email from Okanagan Boys and Girls Clubs CEO Craig Monley was all it took to get me started on this one. He asked...

Let’s tell parents how they can deploy B & G Club Principles and approaches in their own homes, in a family setting, every day and for nothing.

by Keith Pattinson for Okanagan Boys & Girls Clubs

At first it sounded too good to be true... you know what I mean “caveat emptor, buyer beware“. If you see someone approaching you unsolicited and intent on doing you some good.... run for your life!

Then a quick reflection on my fifty plus years parenting, grand parenting and advocating for strong families produced a remarkably different and I hope more credible response. Why not offer readers who are parents some practical, doable approaches that every parent and adult important in the lives of kids can offer every day... maybe even reaffirm many of the things they’re already doing as a parent without realizing how it important and irreplaceable it is to the young people within their influence?

And so....What follows are three important ideas Okanagan Boys and Girls Clubs understand and promote which encourage healthy, honest, caring and responsible behaviour among young members and of equal importance, which serve to protect kids from engaging in negative, destructive and harmful behaviours that diminish their potential to succeed in life.

I’m offering you a front row seat in an Okanagan B & G Club training program where I’ve been asked to offer a response to the age old question... How do we give our kids what they need to succeed in life? At Craig’s request I’ll focus on three points I am confident will get you going if you choose to move from reading to taking action in the lives of children and young people. Not surprisingly, as you listen or in this instance read on, you’ll realize my response to youth professionals and volunteers mirrors the same ideas and encouragement I offer parents.

1. Lesson #1....Remember... Our actions will always speak louder than our words. Optimistically young people learn 20% percent from us on the basis of what we tell them.... and a whopping 80% from observing our behaviour. It’s important to accept the reality we teach our children first and foremost through the examples we offer and set.... how we live our lives. We can talk until we’re blue in the face about the importance of honesty, respect for the law and racial tolerance but we will lose all credibility and influence if we innocently proceed to then go out and buy a radar detector or tell derogatory jokes that reflect unfairly on other races and cultures.... that happens sometimes when we sit around our kitchen tables or living rooms allowing important adults in our children’s lives tell stories that reflect disrespectfully on Newfoundlanders, French Canadians or members of other minority races and cultures. Our children who are growing up in increasingly multi-racial schools and communities see and understand these stories for what they are. Belittling, cruel and unbecoming of responsible adults. I fear we’re poisoning our kids and we’ve got to quit doing it.

2. Lesson # 2....Take a few minutes to learn about the Search Institutes 40 Developmental Assets.... a list of these forty research-based experiences, opportunities and support systems every one of you can introduce and enhance in the lives of your sons and daughters every day. They are practical, cost nothing and most importantly you’ll probably find your doing many of these things already... I’ve included/appended three references that will get you started. A *list of the forty assets an *asset checklist for young people and *asset checklist for parents to get an informal idea of where you and you children are with assets. By all means visit www.search-institute.org for loads of practical information about how other parents throughout the world have introduced the asset approach into their daily lives.

3. Lesson # 3....The third and maybe most important idea you’ll want to understand to get things started and intentionally move this idea forward in the lives of your children and family. It’s been said there are only three things every boy and girl needs to grow to a happy, healthy, responsible and fulfilled adulthood. ... Are you ready? The three things are said to be... RELATIONSHIPS.... RELATIONSHIPS.... AND RELATIONSHIPS.
Interesting huh? After generations of raising children throughout the world and as the result of some of our most profound and credible research available that we have come to determine that to the largest extent, for those who will become significant influences in the lives of young people, it won’t matter how big a house they live in, how hot a car they drive or how much money they have in their bank account. What Okanagan Boys and Girls Clubs and now you understand is that will matter most is the amount of time our young people spend in the presence of adults who as mentors will take the time to introduce them to old fashioned values like honesty, respect, tolerance industry and the gift of giving.

Welcome dear friends and readers to the secret world of Boys and Girls Club professionals and volunteers who practice these ideas every day with your children. Welcome as a mentor committed to leading and teaching by example. In doing so you will become a more significant influence in the lives of young people who are or could be within your influence. Welcome to the world of asset building which can transform your kitchen table, living room and experiences with your children into an extension of what Boys and Girls Clubs try to inject into their lives every day.

In closing... the most frequently asked question from my audiences.... Keith... I love the idea and it’s right for my kids. How long will it take before we know we’ve been successful?

Answer... It’s taken generations to reach the current level of disconnect which sometimes exists between young people and the adults importance to their wellbeing. There is no magic pill... no quick solution. Asset building is not a program. It’s a part of a lifelong philosophy of relationships. My advice! Start slowly and make certain whatever you do lasts forever. It’s taken a while to get to where we are and it’ll take a similar time to get to where we want to be with our kids.

The difficult we do immediately.... the impossible takes a little longer!

About Keith Pattinson: As a father, grandfather, trainer and master story-teller, Keith has played a key role in the introduction of a wide range of innovative services and approaches benefiting children, youth and their families throughout Canada. Keith has been recognized as an innovator, leader, role model and passionate champion for children, families and communities.
Keith has delivered more than 800 keynote presentations contributing to the education of youth work and community development professionals. His positive youth development and asset development message offers hope, encouragement and practical ideas for those who wish to become increasingly significant influences in the lives of young people. He has been described as one of Canada's most inspirational, humorous and entertaining speakers.

New Peachland Programs starting Fall 2010!

Begining this fall 2010, Okanagan Boys & Girls Clubs will be offering programs in Peachland at the Peachland Elementary School.

In addition to the existing Mobile Youth Program, parents can now enroll their children in the following programs: 

• Preschool (Ages 3 & 4 year olds)
  Our preschools encourage children to explore,learn, and grow in a stimulating and fun environment. Preschoolers develop and practice social and language skills, cooperative play, independent thinking and an awareness of self.
  
  Classes for 3 year olds T & Th
  Classes for 4 year olds M, W & F
  Time: 8:30 - 11 am
• After School Programs (Grades K-6)
  Join us for fun - filled, action packed programs and activities after school. Participate in sports, leisure, creative arts, personal growth and life skill activities. Programs are also available on professional days and during school breaks.
  
  Mondays to Fridays 2:30-6 pm 

For more information call 250-768-3049 or email webber@boysandgirlsclubs.ca or visit the Webber Road Community Centre page on this site.

OBGC Featured in MacLean's July 26th Issue

Imagine Canada's second supplement in Maclean’s for 2010, In Charity We Trust: Canada’s Charity Leaders on the Canadian Donor, is now on newsstands (July 26 issue). The supplement features Ethical Code Program participants including the Okanagan Boys & Girls Clubs CEO Craig Monley.

Every year a large majority of Canadians make financial contributions to one or more of the 85,000 registered charities that comprise the sector. Imagine Canada asked ten of the country’s charity leaders to share their perspectives on what matters to donors today, what they are doing to ensure that donor interests are taken into account, and, what they think the future holds for charitable giving in Canada.

Click HERE to read the article and find out more about the Canadian Donor in 2010.

WWW.OKPLAY.CA WEBSITE LAUNCHES!

Everybody Needs To Play - Everybody Gets To Play!

The Okanagan Boys and Girls Clubs are proud to be part of Everybody Gets To Play Okanagan - an initiative committed to providing recreation without barriers in the Okanagan. Thanks to the support of the many organizations who have come together to make this initiative possible, Everybody Gets To Play Okanagan will open new doors for low income families and help us all take a significant step towards a healthier, more positive community.

Everybody Gets To Play Okanagan has created a new website at www.okplay.ca which features no to low cost recreational opportunities offered by organizations throughout the Central Okanagan. With the click of a mouse, users can view upcoming programs, activities and events taking place throughout the Okanagan - all of which cost $2 or less per person or $5 or less per family!

All the information and details regarding dates, locations and admission pricing, when applicable, is also available. Users can refine their search by area, age, date or activity type. A photo gallery will provide visitors to the site an opportunity to enjoy a showcase of recent shots from local events. The ability to share the site, emailing links to various activities to friends and families will produce a valuable means of delivering the Everybody Gets To Play Okanagan message throughout the community. A financial assistance page provides further help on how to access available funding for recreation opportunities. 

We invite you to visit www.okplay.ca and see for yourself the many ways Everybody Gets To Play!