We're going to the races!

Club to participate in B.A.A. Marathon Charity Program

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Dorchester is pleased to announce that we are one of six new charities selected by the Boston Athletic Association’s Boston Marathon Charity Program to participate in the 116th running of the Boston Marathon, one of the most prestigious races in the world. Through this program, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Dorchester has been awarded 15 official entries for the Boston Marathon on April 16, 2012.  Each selected runner will raise a minimum of $4,000 for the Club and will have access to team practice runs, meetings, fundraising support, clinics and will be given a discount to a local sports store. As part of this program, our organization will be given 15 official entries per year for the duration of three years. Those interested in running the Boston Marathon on behalf of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Dorchester can apply for the Club’s Marathon Team at bgcdorchester.org, beginning on September 12, 2011. Qualified entrants who have already secured their entry with the B.A.A are welcome and encouraged to apply for the team in addition to the 15 charity program runners. Qualified runners will be asked to raise $1,000 and will have access to the same benefits as the charity program runners. “We are so honored to have been selected by the B.A.A. to join this elite group of charities,” said Bob Scannell, President & CEO. “The Boston Marathon is a world-class event and those chosen to run on behalf of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Dorchester will make a big impact on the lives of our members.” The B.A.A. Charity Program raises more than $10 million dollars each year and over the course of 24 years, has raised more than $122 million for local charities including The American Liver Foundation, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Children’s Hospital Boston, Alzheimer’s Association and others. Over the three-year partnership, Boys & Girls Clubs of Dorchester has set a goal to raise more than $200,000 through the marathon program.  Funds raised will help the Club’s Triple Play Program, a national program strategy from Boys & Girls Clubs of America that challenges kids to lead healthier lives by learning new ways to eat healthily, be physically active, manage stress, and make other healthy choices.  The Club has customized this successful program on a local level by offering an array of wellness-focused activities that take into account the economic, social and environmental factors that place Dorchester youth at high risk for childhood obesity. These funds will also help with the new “Learn To” programs starting in September for children ages 3-5. For more information on the marathon program, please visit marathon@bgcdorchester.org or contact Heather Brigham at ext. 1132.

September Events

After re-opening for the school-year program on 9/12, the Club will be offering a number of special events in our first month of after-school programming. In the Fine Arts program our classes will begin the week of 9/19 and we will be hosting an outing to the Opera House to see “South Pacific” on 9/29. In our Education program Homework Help will be offered on a Monday to Thursday schedule from 2:00-6:00 p.m. and all of our weekly groups Clubs (KidzLit, Scratch & Kids College Math) will begin meeting. All of our new “Learn To” programming for members ages 3-5 will begin the week of 9/12 with some spots still available. In our Social Recreation program our small group clubs will begin as follows: Girls Group (9/21), Torch Club (9/21), Boys Group (9/22) and Fencing Club (9/24). We will also host our Worldwide Day of Play Event (9/24). Our Patriot’s Kids Café program is back up and running, offering a hot, nutritious meal to members of all ages weekday evenings with Bantams & Cadets (ages 5-9) at 4:30 p.m., Juniors (ages 10-12) at 5:30 p.m. and Teens at 6:00 p.m. in the Teen Center. In the Athletic program we will hold try-outs for our two All-Star Floor Hockey teams on 9/20 (Girls 14&U) and 9/21 (Boys 13&U). Our four Intramural Floor Hockey leagues will also begin this month: Boys 10&U (9/22), Girls 10&U (9/23), Girls 18&U (9/23) and Boys 14&U (9/24); as well as our two Intramural Flag Football Leagues: Senior Division for 13-18 year olds (9/19) and Junior Division for 8-12 year olds (9/24). In our Aquatics program the Marr-lin Swim Team will hold try-outs (50 yd. swim) for new swimmers on 9/16 & 9/19, a parents meeting on 9/20 and new swimmers will begin team practices on 9/22. Meanwhile the Swim Lesson program will hold a testing session for new registrants on 9/15 prior to lessons beginning the week of 9/19. At our Denney Center Unit located in Harbor Point we will begin our U-Mass Tutoring program and host a weekend retreat for teens to Cape Cod (9/16 to 9/18). In our Music program we will begin small group lessons, host an Open Mic Night (9/16) and attend the Beantown Jazz Festival (9/24). Lastly, in our Teen program we will host a “Back to School” Jam on 9/22 and begin a new Latin Dance Class on 9/26. For more information on our Fall program please contact VP of Programming, Mike Joyce at 617-288-7120, ext. 2110.