Success Stories
Overcoming Challenges to Achieve Success
In his short life, David has already overcome many challenges. He has battled obesity, low self-esteem and academic challenges ‒ and triumphed! He is looking forward to attending college after he graduates from high school, and he is encouraging his sister to do the same.
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Eight months ago, at 15, Andrea Trejo?s life was heading in a negative direction. She was failing her classes, skipping school and experimenting with drugs and alcohol.
2012 Youth of the Year Sponsors
Boys & Girls Clubs of America - LA County 2012 Youth of the Year Sponsors
The Clubs Prepare Students for College and Beyond
Alyssa Bolden has been a member of the Boys & Girls Club of Carson for the past three years. She has found that her time at the Club has provided her with much more than just homework help and social interaction. “To me, the Club is much more than an organization; it is a family,” she says.
“I have been given the tools to build a better life for myself after high school and beyond. The Club has allowed me to meet great friends and expand my college opportunities.” Now, Alyssa is looking forward to attending college after she graduates.
A Boys & Girls Clubs Success Story
Michael Almodovar came to the Boys & Girls Club of the West Valley when he was just 14. His mother enrolled him in Canoga Park High School in order to give him a chance at a better life. There, he learned about the Club and things started to change.
“I was doing some really bad things, and getting horrible grades at my old school,” Michael says. “I was definitely headed down the wrong path.” At the Club, he gained a mentor and a friend in Ricardo Hernandez, an assistant football coach at his school.
“Michael knew [the Club would] be there for him, no matter what,” Ricardo says.
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The youngest of three, Priscilla Alfaro comes from a single parent household.
She has been an active member at the West San Gabriel Valley Boys & Girls Club for eight years.
She is a student athlete that has maintained a grade point average of a 4.0 since her freshman year, aspires to one day attend UCLA and major in criminal law, and hopes to one day become a lawyer.
Now, she can add Youth of the Year to her list of accomplishments.
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Brittany started attending the Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Monica at a very young age. Her parents brought here to the Clubs so she would have a safe place to stay after school while they were still at work.
Brittany’s parents came to America from Vietnam, sparing their daughter a life of poverty, unemployment and violence. Bringing her to the Clubs may have also saved her from dropping out of school.
Turning Aspirations into Actions
A high school senior, Andrew has been attending the Boys & Girls Club of Whittier for more than 10 years. In that time, his life has changed dramatically.
“Back when I was in middle school, my family and I found ourselves homeless….living in different motels, in an abandoned car, and even behind bushes. Eventually, we got back on our feet with the help of my grandmother.” Now, Andrew is committed to helping others who are struggling with homelessness and poverty.
In addition to participating in a variety of volunteer programs at the Clubs, Andrew is honing his leadership skills.
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One of six children of Cambodian immigrants, Cheeravath has faced adversity in his young life. “Many kids my age, especially in my neighborhood, take part in all the wrong things.” Thankfully, Cheeravath found the Boys & Girls Clubs of Long Beach during his freshman year.
“My freshman year was a very critical stage in my life; a stage in my life where I was vulnerable to the pressures of misled peers and pop culture. I often wonder how my life would have turned out had I not walked into the doors of the Boys & Girls Club.”
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A senior at Carson High School and six-year member of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Carson (BGCC), Gerardo Rodriguez has been selected to compete for the title of L.A. County Youth of the Year for 2012. This outstanding young man has already accomplished so much, and he has a very bright future ahead of him!
Recently, he was selected to be the Boys & Girls Clubs of Carson 2012 Youth of the Year winner. He will serve a one-year term as the teen spokesperson for the 2,500 youth served annually by the Boys & Girls Clubs of Carson. "The Club Has a Special Place in My Heart"
Aaliyah Arellano has been a member at the Boys & Girls Club of Burbank and Greater East Valley for over five years. The Boys & Girls Club have allowed her to discover talents she didn’t know she had, and in turn, to share those new gifts with her friends and family.
Aaliyah seen firsthand how the Boys & Girls Club have impacted her life!
She shared, “The Club really means a lot to me because it’s like my second home. If I would have never joined, I wouldn’t have any clue what I would be doing after school. The Club has a really special place in my heart.”
Disney Benefits LA Alliance Clubs through Pirates of the Caribbean Event
Disney sold opening night movie tickets to "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" to the public. They sold out in just 4 days. Thanks to the ticket sales, Disney gave $5,000 to all L.A. County and Orange County Clubs.
GAP and Old Navy Support the Youths of the Year
From January 20-22, 2012, GAP and Old Navy stores throughout Los Angeles will offer a 25% off coupon to every customer who donates $5 or more to the Boys & Girls Clubs of America ? L.A. County Alliance.
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ADT Business Solutions, a unit of Tyco International and North America?s leading security system integrator, recently presented the Los Angeles Boys & Girls Club with a Hosted Video Security System at its recent Security Solutions and Technology Show in Los Angeles.
California Apartment Association Donates to Help Club
The California Apartment Association recently made a $300,000 donation of capital improvements to the Salesian Boys & Girls Clubs in Boyle Heights.
Why the Clubs Are So Important
“On any given weekday, you could walk into a Boys & Girls Club and possibly meet a member that could tell you exactly why the Clubs are so important.”
“You might end up meeting a member that is homeless and living in shelters – with nowhere to go during the hot summer days because shelters don’t allow you inside from 8am to 4pm. You might also end up meeting a kid that’s been kicked out into the streets or forced to share a 1-bedroom apartment with a bunch of people. Who knows? You may even meet a kid who’s held responsible for the care and safety of his 1 ½ year old sister because his mother was taken away to a correctional facility…”
Meet the 2011 LA County Youths of the Year
On March 15, Violet Miehle of Boys & Girls Club of Malibu and Dennis Ojogho of Salesian Boys & Girls Club of Los Angeles were selected to serve as Co-LA County Youths of the Year and each won a $2,500 scholarship. They will be eligible to enter the State of California competition, and can eventually proceed to the regional and national competitions.
Youth center opens as racial tensions ease in Harbor Gateway
Charlene Lovett returned this week to help L.A. City Councilwoman Janice Hahn open the Boys & Girls Club of Harbor Gateway/Torrance: Cheryl Green Community Youth Center at Del Amo Boulevard and Denker Avenue. The youth center is badly needed in a densely populated area that has few places for young people to hang out.
Los Angeles Boys & Girls club to receive field overhaul
The Dodgers and the Dodgers Dream Foundation announced Saturday that the Los Angeles Boys & Girls Club will be the site of the ninth Dodgers Dreamfield. "These are the fields where children learn how to excel as individuals, how to collaborate on a team, how to hope, how to persevere and how to win," McCourt said. "This field is where children can invite baseball into their imaginations, where dreams are born."
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In November, a new ordinance went into effect in the City of Malibu, thanks in good measure to the untiring efforts of the Green Teens environmental group from the Boys & Girls Club of Malibu Teen Center. Unanimously approved by the City Council, the ban restricts the use of all kinds of non-reusable plastic bags and applies to all businesses within the city.
