Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago

Thank you to RBC Capital Markets for making us part of the 10th anniversary of #RBCCharityDayForTheKids benefiting youth-serving charities and thousands of children around the world! We are proud to be part of the RBC community, powering ideas for people and planet. Learn more at https://lnkd.in/ghCkauE

As the first week of Summer Camp comes to a close, our Clubs members have been flying SKY HIGH! Earlier this week, they met Chicago Sky WNBA coach #TeresaWeatherspoon and received autographs from the rest of the Chicago Sky team, including rookies #AngelReese and #KamillaCardoso! To top it all off, they attended yesterday's game, cheering the Sky to victory sitting courtside and in a private suite. A special thanks to Magellan Corporation for treating our Club members to an unforgettable week! #AClubForLife #playlikeagirl #WNBA #SkyTown #womensbasketball

Last Friday, our friends at ITW volunteered at our Rusu-McCartin Club for ITW’s Annual Day of Action! More than 30 volunteers gave their time helping the Club prepare for Summer Camp by decorating program spaces and organizing supplies! Rusu-McCartin’s Summer Camp theme is Around the World so members will walk into a new country with every room thanks to the volunteer help from ITW! #AClubForLife #ProudToBeITW

Our commitment to the future of #Chicago's young people is a core part of our mission – it's what keeps us passionate about advancing our workforce development programs for our teens and young adults. We couldn't be happier to share that Bank of America recently awarded us as one of its #BofAGrants to help us continue advancing economic mobility toward this mission. #AClubForLife

“It ultimately confirms my belief that I can be a successful entrepreneur one day.” Watch our Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago member Tyson on WGN-TV's Spotlight Chicago discussing his experience with our new entrepreneurship program, StartUp LaunchPad! Tyson was joined by one of the program's mentors Quintin E. Primo III, who discussed the impact of a program like this in our Clubs. Watch the full segment at the link below! #AClubForLife

Check out our own President and CEO Michael Crowley on WBBM | CBS Chicago talking about the impact of our mental health programs at our Clubs! You can watch both segments at the links below! #AClubForLife https://lnkd.in/gsMbfpAn https://lnkd.in/gm2_4k26

Last month, our new entrepreneurship program, StartUp LaunchPad, had our amazing Club members pitching business ideas to local entrepreneur leaders. Watch the video to hear what our kids had to say about their experience with the program and developing their startups! You can learn more about the program here: https://lnkd.in/gc4BUrb3 #AClubForLife

On Saturday, our new entrepreneurship program, StartUp LaunchPad, had its capstone event, where five teams presented their business ideas to a panel of Chicago entrepreneurs and were awarded more than $20,000 in seed funding to kickstart their startups. This incredible opportunity has helped them explore the world of entrepreneurship through weeks of immersive workshops and has been instrumental in equipping these young people with the essential skills to build a business from scratch. It's truly inspiring to see their progress. This pitch day was just the beginning of their entrepreneurial journey. The seed funding will help them bring their ideas to life and launch a profitable business, which they will receive 75% of the profits in scholarship funds! We can’t wait for the upcoming event in June when we hear about their progress and the future of their businesses. #AClubForLife Suhail Mohiuddin, Diane Primo, Quintin E. Primo III, James Valadez

Yesterday, I had the honor of welcoming 120 of our young women to Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago’s Annual SMART Girls Summit. Members participated in activities led by women from our Club staff and local organizations that focused on mental health, self-care, the arts, STEM/robotics and more. The day’s theme was EMPOWERMENT, and I know that will stay with our members for many days and months ahead. #AClubForLife

Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago was honored to participate in the 10th Annual National Days of Advocacy! We joined nearly 300 Club leaders from all across the Country in our Nation's Capital last week to discuss legislative priorities with our members of Congress. BGCC alone met with seven members of the Illinois delegation, including leaders such as Senator Dick Durbin, Congressman Danny Davis, and Congressman Jesus Garcia. Their ongoing support has helped support our work in academic success, youth well-being, and workforce development.