Rotary Boys & Girls Club   RBGC Youth of the Quarter Nahom Zekiros was selected as Rotary Boys & Girls Club’s Youth of the Quarter, spring 2008. Nahom’s radiant smile, good sense of humor and tough spirit has been a long enjoyed presence at the Club. At a young age, Nahom was asked to leave the grandmother who raised him in Ethiopia to begin a new life in America.  He has overcome the difficult transitions of family, friends and a new language to thrive here in Seattle. As a freshman at Garfield High School last year, he maintained a 3.25 grade point average – while playing soccer for the school and basketball for Rotary. Over the summer he worked hard as a CIT (Counselor in Training) and was a tremendous help to both the staff and kids. The Rotary Boys & Girls Club is proud to call Nahom Zekiros our Youth of the Quarter for the spring of 2008. His positive influence has been felt throughout the Club. Staff Highlight: Daryll Hennings   The kids, parents, staff and board members at Rotary have long known how blessed we are to have Daryll Hennings as our Athletic Director. This past June, Boys & Girls Clubs of King County formally recognized his value to this Club and community by naming him Athletic Director of the Year.  Daryll began working for RBGC in 1999 and in that time has developed a strong athletic program that is the envy of other clubs and youth organizations around the region. In the last decade, he has provided a year round in-house basketball program serving over 400 kids a year in all grades, a flag football program and swim lessons. He has further developed and managed a nationally recognized AAU basketball program, consisting of as many as 12 teams. Incredibly, Daryll has done all this in a club that does not have a regulation-size gym, swimming pool, or athletic field. Daryll’s unwavering commitment to make a positive impact on the lives of our Club members has been the cornerstone of his success. His belief in the mission of the Boys & Girls Club is evident every day, whether it’s on the basketball court teaching fundamentals and sportsmanship, or in his office mentoring one of the hundreds of kids. Daryll is extremely proud of the success of the Rotary Style program which has included nationally ranked players and led some Style alumni to the NBA (including Rodney Stuckey and Marvin Williams). However, those success stories are not why he does his job.  Daryll puts the same amount of pride, passion, and tireless work ethic into his Pee-Wee Basketball program as he does with Style. He sees sports as a way to develop self-confidence in our kids and to create opportunities for them down the road. Daryll encourages his players to put as much energy and focus into academics as they do basketball. Watching Daryll create team rosters and schedules, coordinate travel plans with Style, and answer phone calls from parents and coaches is an impressive sight – but it is a typical day for him. Despite his seven-day-aweek schedule working with our kids, Daryll still finds time to be an incredible father and devoted husband. Rotary is lucky to have such an outstanding and dedicated staff member, and we are proud to honor Daryll as the Athletic Director of the Year! Volunteers of the Year: Seattle University It is always a difficult decision when selecting among a group of dedicated volunteers for the Club Volunteer of the Year award. All of our volunteers deserve recognition and appreciation for the contribution they make to the lives of so many kids. The choice was made a little easier this year by deciding to recognize many volunteers in the form of one organization, Seattle University. In 2007, over 100 students from service learning courses, student-athletes from a variety of university collegiate and Club teams and individual volunteers – chose to make a difference. From helping kids read during Lollipop Reading Club to introducing young athletes to the sport of women’s volleyball, Seattle University students helped Club members build their academic skills–while exploring their interests and talents – and occasionally trying something new! Several exciting special programs involved Friday night teen functions with SU’s Black Student Union, holiday donations from the SU sports teams and an SU Field Day. On Friday, June 6th at McCaw Hall, two Seattle University representatives were on hand to accept the award on behalf of the University at the Boys & Girls Clubs of King County Annual Honor Awards Luncheon for Board, Volunteers and Staff. This event honors people who have made great contributions to the well-being of children. Mary Kay McFadden, Vice President for University Advancement and former member of the Board of Directors of the Rotary Boys & Girls Club, said she was “thrilled that our students are living Seattle University’s mission in our own neighborhood at the Rotary Boys & Girls Club.” Audrey Hudgins, Assistant Dean in the College of Arts & Sciences and current member of the Board of Directors, remarked on the excellent partnership between the Club and the University which she hopes to build on in the future. Future projects being considered include programs on youth and politics and expanded partnerships with SU sports teams. Congratulations and thanks to Seattle University for its commitment to the kids at Rotary.     Dawn to Dusk at Microsoft: Microsoft Diversity Group and Blacks at Microsoft (BAM) hosted their 14th annual Dawn to Dusk Sports Tournament on July 12, 2008.  Proceeds of the 2008 Tournament were donated to the Rotary Boys & Girls Club, the BAM Scholarship Fund and Special Olympics Washington. Dawn to Dusk is an all-day, non-competitive sports tournament and picnic geared to raise money for higher education and local nonprofit organizations. Chef Jason Roberts Visits RBGC Australian celebrity chef, Jason Roberts, visited our Club in July – spending a few hours with our summer camp kids. Chef Roberts greeted our kids at our daily morning Club meeting and discussed the value of eating a nutritious diet and living a healthy lifestyle. Over lunch he spent time with individual kids and spoke with them about their meals. After lunch Chef Roberts cooked with some of our campers and shared a few of his healthy recipes such as vegetable muffins and fruit smoothies. The kids couldn’t eat enough, special thanks to Key Bank for making this possible! The O’Donnell Foundation creates post-secondary scholarship program A big thanks to the O’Donnell Foundation for supporting the gifts and talents of our Club members through the recently established O’Donnell Scholars program. Its purpose is both charitable and educational, providing scholarships of up to $3,000 per year to deserving students to defray expenses related to post-high school education. “We know so many kids struggling to cope with the financial impact of continuing their education,” said Mariette O’Donnell, who with her husband, Jim O’Donnell, have made this program a reality. “We know situations where kids have deferred college acceptance to work and save, young people who can't bring themselves to ask their parents to co-sign student loans – even situations where a scholarship has been turned down for lack of funds for all the non-tuition expenses.” The scholarships may be used for tuition, books and fees. Applications are accepted in January of each year and decisions are based on financial need, an academic record that shows the applicant is able to succeed in his or her chosen area and on a personal essay discussing their future goals and dreams. A panel of Board volunteers makes the final decisions. Scholarship recipients also receive one-on-one mentoring during the scholarship award period, which helps keep their focus on educational goals. “We need contributions for this important program,” Jim O’Donnell said. “It speaks directly to our mission of empowering kids to reach for success through post-secondary education. It also offers donors who want to make a larger gift an opportunity to honor someone special.” For information on creating a named scholarship, please contact Patrick Carter at (206) 436-1881. Gifts of any size may be sent to the Club at 201 19th Avenue, Seattle, WA 98122. Just mark the envelope “Scholarship Program.”   First group of O’Donnell Scholars selected Congratulations to the six Rotary Boys & Girls Club members who have been selected as 2008 O’Donnell Scholars, the first group to earn such a distinction. The O’Donnell Scholars Program is devoted to excellence in education and recognizes that every child is a gift, offering hope for the future and the potential to strengthen our community. Case Berrysmith and Thomas Fowler will attend Seattle Central Community College. Case intends to complete an Associate’s Degree program for eventual transfer to a four year college – while working toward becoming a firefighter through the Junior Cadet program. Thomas has set his sights on Business Information Technology, which will support his dream of attending either Seattle University or the University of Washington to earn a degree in Finance or E-Commerce and Business Information Systems.   Kelsi Bland, Troyona Neal and Latria White will attend Bellevue Community College. Kelsi, the 2007 Boys & Girls Clubs of King County Youth of the Year, plans to complete the Associate of Arts degree in preparation for transfer to Virginia State University. Troyona intends to work toward an Associate of Science degree to prepare for entry into the field of Dentistry. Latria, a Running Start student, intends to pursue a degree which will support her desire to open her own real estate business with her mother.    Judy Tengata looks forward to a very different “pace” in the fall. She will attend Pace University, a four year school in New York, majoring in English Literature.    In addition to the scholarship, O’Donnell Scholars receive one-on-one mentorship by Audrey Hudgins, Assistant Dean in the College of Arts & Sciences at Seattle University and member of the Rotary Boys & Girls Club Board of Directors. Audrey has been impressed by the determination and focus of this first group of O’Donnell Scholars, and commented “Their future is so bright, they should wear shades.” Let’s wish the O’Donnell Scholars the best of luck in the 2008-2009 academic year at the college of their choice and throughout their educational future.   Board Member of the Year: Pam Cheney Pam Cheney has a heart of gold and has served on the Rotary Boys & Girls Club Board of Directors for four years. On June 6th, at the Boys & Girls Clubs of King County Annual Honor Awards Luncheon, she was awarded Board Member of the Year for the Rotary Club. She serves as chair of the Kid’s Breakfast and the programs committee, serves on the resource development and marketing committees, and participates in maintenance day, the tailgate party, fundraising dinners and the auction. Her passion for kids shows in her behind-the-scene support to help the Club be successful. Thank you Pam! Summer Camp Highlight: Our summer camp program in 2008 was once again filled with sun, fun, water and exciting field trips. Over 60 kids in grades 1 – 5 attended our summer camp. Field trips included trips to the Center for Wooden Boats, Everett Children’s Museum and Wild Waves. In addition, our 4th and 5th graders met with Officer Cookie of the Seattle Police Department. She also joined them for a six-week chess program where they learned the fundamentals of the game and competitive strategies.A special thanks to the Seattle Summer Sack Lunch program for providing 450 free lunches and nearly 5000 free snacks for our campers and participants in our afternoon Drop-In program. Summer Academics: It was a successful summer for our M2 Math Mentoring program and SMART (Science, Math, Art, Reading and Technology) camp. The M2 Math Mentoring program's main curriculum was divided into three projects including real-world budgets, construction and statistics. The six week SMART camp incorporated a broader theme of environmental awareness. Members completed WASL Math and Reading assessments, and worked with PICO crickets (robotics and computer programming kits). With support from the Pearson Foundation, they also wrote, filmed and edited video public service announcements on various environmental issues from climate change and deteriorating rainforests, to dangers of toxic waste and the plight of the polar bears.These programs provide Rotary BGC kids with valuable skills and experience that will benefit them in their future academic endeavors.