Kids, families and communities that rely on the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Sequoias have had another challenging year.

But challenging times can lead to great moments when kids have Clubs and Clubs have you.

A second family. Emotional support. Mentors who lift you up in your time of greatest need. These are the moments that add up to great futures.

Thank you for the moments you’ve made possible for kids and families in our community this year.

Hear What Our Donors Have to Say:

Ezra Ayers, Owner of John Ayers Tree Surgeons

Ezra Ayers was introduced to the Club through the Ivanhoe Sports Field project in early 2018. He donated his tree maintenance services then and has so graciously continued to do so ever since. Boys & Girls Clubs of the Sequoias recognizes the value of Ezra’s line of work and is immensely grateful for his generosity. In this video, Ezra describes how he first became involved with the Club and how the connections he’s made inspires him to continue to donate his services.

Chago Martin, Co-Owner of Cream of the Crop Ag Service

Santiago “Chago” Martin is a supporter of the Club in all facets. Not only has he supported the Club through his business, but he has also served the Club as a board member for the past two years. Additionally, his business helped realize the Ivanhoe Sports Field four years ago and still graciously maintains its landscaping to this day. Watch this video to hear Chago elaborate more on his experience as a donor, as well as how having the perspective of a parent motivates him to be a part of the Club.

Don Groppetti, Owner & President of The Groppetti Automotive Family

Don Groppetti is no stranger to the Boys & Girls Club. He and his wife Shelly became a part of the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Sequoias Family in 2000—and before that, they were a part of the Boys & Girls Club in Santa Maria. The Groppetti’s have such a huge heart for the youth in our community and we are very grateful to have their involvement with our organization. Here, Groppetti tells us what he appreciates about our Clubs and why he has continued to give consistently for the past 21 years.

SiD Frank, M.d. & Paula Frank

Dr. Sid Frank and Paula Frank first encountered the Club about 20 years ago, and have been an integral part of our BGCS family ever since. The two have so much compassion for kids, and they have truly shown us the impact that a couple can have when they put their efforts together. Mrs. Frank has volunteered and served the Club in several ways, whether it meant going door-to-door or setting up tables for an event. Dr. Frank has been on our board for 20 years and the two have made financial contributions in many ways, one way being giving through their retirement. But don’t take it from us—take a look at the video and hear the story from the Franks themselves!

Make Your Year-End Gift Today

A Message from our Chief Executive Officer, Galen Quenzer:

Dear Friend of the Club,

If we spend much time these days consuming the news or scrolling through social media, it's easy to become jaded about humanity. Spend a little time at a Boys & Girls Club, however, and one's faith in people, and kids in particular, is fully restored.

I have been working with kids for 35 years and I continue to be amazed at the resilience and strength of our young people. All kids have challenges in their lives and some live through events that no kid should have to experience. But if they have a safe outlet and someone who cares about them, they can weather a lot. Kids need encouragement, a listening ear and opportunities to learn, explore, and be of service to others. In this environment they will likely be able to envision and strive for a promising future.

Evoking an often-used metaphor, kids are seeds needing to be surrounded by nutritious soil, watered, and exposed to sunshine, and they will grow and blossom.

Jose from the Strathmore Club, age 8, for example, is loving his Money Matters classes at the Club. He enthusiastically shares his newfound financial knowledge with the other members, telling them how to save and to spend their money responsibly.

And at the Ivanhoe Club, Jacob, age 13, enjoys art. Staff encourage him to help other kids at the Club develop their creativity. With adult assistance, Jacob is now preparing and teaching art classes to the younger Club members.

I see kids everyday who want to do meaningful things with their lives, not just in the future, but now. They are eager to help and be of service to others. Our Youth Development Coaches work to nurture, encourage, and harness youths' enthusiasm and good will.

Thank you for the part you are playing in nurturing and supporting kids. I hope you will consider a year-end gift to allow our Clubs to provide hope and opportunity to thousands of kids again in 2022. I believe it's one of the best investments you can make.

Sincerely,

Galen Quenzer
Chief Executive Officer

Start being remembered today.

Do you dream of making a transformational gift? The kind that creates a better future? A gift that leaves a lasting statement to the world about who you are and what you care about?

Consider making a gift through your will or trust.

EASY

All it takes is a simple addition to your existing documents. We can provide you sample language to give to your attorney.

CHANGEABLE

You can easily alter or revoke your gift down the road if needed.

FLEXIBLE

Give a specific asset or a percentage of your estate. Support a particular program or let your gift go where it’s needed most.

MEMORABLE

If there’s a special person you wish to honor, a gift through your will or trust makes a beautiful tribute gift.

TRANSFORMATIONAL

When you leave us a gift in your will or trust, you build our long-term financial strength and enable us to continue to help our community long into the future.

"I call it the ripple effect, where you touch someone's life and that someone winds up touching someone else's life, and you have no idea how large or profound the effect is that you’ve had on them. That’s what happens at the Boys & Girls Club, all the time. . . . We have actually donated money directly out of our retirement funds to the Boys & Girls Club, which is something I would recommend to those in our age bracket who are interested.”
– Dr. Sid Frank, Board Member

More simple ways to make your mark on the future:

Make a gift through your retirement plan
Give life insurance you no longer need
Donate appreciated stock and save taxes
Consider a gift of real estate
Make a gift that gives you fixed payments for life
Make a gift that protects your assets

Interested?

Lynn Ratá
Director of Development
Boys & Girls Clubs of the Sequoias
215 W. Tulare Avenue
Visalia, CA 93277
559.592.4074
lynn.rata@bgcsequoias.org
www.bgcsequoias.org

Make a Holiday Gift

FLIP THROUGH THE SECTION BELOW TO SEE WHAT WE HAVE BEEN UP TO!

Woodlake Club members Nathan and Jovanni felt compelled to do something special for their local fire station. They appreciated the station's hard work during the floods and decided to show their gratitude by handing out treats and thank you cards. With the help of Club staff, they reached out to Emmanuel Llamas at City Hall, who was able to give them a list of organizations and teams that helped during the floods. Nathan then took it upon himself to design the thank you cards and handwrite a message for every team. The treats were provided by Sara Caudle, a staff member's daughter, who baked and beautifully decorated five dozen cupcakes. Finally, all the Club's work came together, and members were able to show their big thank you. Members Nathan and CJ were accompanied by staff to the fire station, police station, public works, and city hall, where they handed out the cupcakes and thank you cards. Woodlake Unit Director, Erika Villa, was overjoyed to see her members' plan come to life, saying, "I am proud of our members for taking the initiative to show gratitude to those in their community!” #bgcsequoias #TulareCounty #bgclubs #woodlake #woodlakeca #woodlakecalifornia

As families gather for Sunday soccer games at Hester School in Farmersville, Reading Corners will be available for siblings of the players. Children will have a supervised place to read books or be read to. Sports Reading Corners is a project of Lea Conmigo (Read with Me), Farmersville. Lea Conmigo is a collective effort of a dozen organizations, with the goal of children being able to read at grade level by the third grade. #bgcsequoias #tularecounty #bgclubs #farmersville #farmersvilleca #farmersvillecalifornia

The Ivanhoe Boys & Girls Club was selected to receive a $13,500 grant from United Way of Tulare County. United Way provides support to numerous Community Benefit Organizations throughout the county. Thank you, United Way staff and volunteers, for caring about and serving our community! #bgcsequoias #greatfutures #tularecounty #bgclubs

Richard Torrez, Tulare's very own Olympic Boxer, recently visited our Tulare location! Club members from across the county attended to hear Torrez speak about his experience as an Olympic athlete and his path to get there. Members were incredibly excited to hear that Torrez was once a Club kid at the Tulare Club himself! Torrez said, "I grew up here for about 3-4 years, […] so when I made the connection that it was this Club that I would be speaking at, I jumped at the opportunity." Torrez touched on some of the many lessons he's learned through life so far, one of them being the importance of surrounding yourself with the right people. He explained to members, "You need a strong foundation, and a strong foundation is your surroundings." Needless to say, our kids and teens were very inspired by Torrez, and at the end of his visit, members were thrilled to get his autograph! We want to thank Torrez for taking the time to visit the Club and impacting our members by sharing his positive message. Read more via the link in our bio! #bgcsequoias #GreatFutures #tularecounty #bgclubs #tulare #tulareca #tularecalifornia

👉 We are so excited to share that our Silent Auction supporting the Tulare Club is now open! Text the keyword, COMIX to 71760. 📲 How to get to COMIX Online Silent Auction: #1 - Text "COMIX" to 71760 using your mobile phone. #2 - A Text message with a website will be sent to your phone. Click on the link in the Message. #3 - Complete Registration. Enter your information and tap "Register" to enter the Online Auction. #4 - Start Bidding! You will be directed to our Online Auction Page. #5 - Click the "Auction" button to see a list of all our auction items. --> Click on any item of your choice to bid --> Click your amount to bid on --> Click "confirm." #6 - You can then, Click on the "My Bids" button to see a list of items you have current bids on. #7 - Click the "Donate" button to donate to our Tulare Club! If you do not plan to attend the event but still want to support the Tulare Boys & Girls Club, you can register to bid through the online silent auction or donate to the Club. #bgcsequoias #greatfutures #tularecounty #bgclubs

Thank you, LMG Ag Products, for your generous donation! Through their social media fundraiser and with your help, $4,000 was donated to our Clubs. Thank you for participating in this campaign and supporting our mission! #bgcsequoias #tularecounty #bgclubs #greatfutures

At the Woodlake Club, members learned about car maintenance, the parts of a car, and how engines work. They got hands-on with this model engine, which they were able to put together like real mechanical engineers! This project was a part of our Passport to Manhood program, which guides members through their journey into adulthood and prepares them with the soft and hard skills needed to succeed in life. #bgcsequoias #aplacetobecome #tularecounty #woodlake #woodlakeca #woodlakecalifornia

Our Strathmore Love Our Kids 5k Fun Run was a blast! Supporters and Club members joined us at Porterville Veterans Park to support the Strathmore Club. Runners of all ages cheered each other on, re-energized with a snack, and then were awarded for their achievements in various categories. We would like to thank all of you who donated, volunteered, and participated in the run. It is because of your enthusiasm and involvement that we were able to have a successful event and raiser over $17,500 for our afterschool program in Strathmore! Thank you to our major sponsors: Central Valley Auto Transport, Inc., Setton Farms, The County, Beneficial State Bank, Family HealthCare Network, Paragon Personnel, E.M. Tharp, Inc., Jim & Patricia Holly, Starr & Yonok Warson, Christina Miceli, Farmers Insurance Agent, Pine, Pedroncelli & Aguilar, Inc., and Dr. Suorsa & Dr. Miller Optometry. Thank you to the following businesses who provided prizes, healthy snacks and more for our runners: Adventure Park, Costo, DEFY, Epic Print & Promo, McDermont Field House, Miller Brothers Printing, Savemart – Porterville, Starbucks – Lindsay, Target – Porterville and Visalia, Walmart Distribution Center, and Wonderful Pistachios. Thank you to our amazing co-chairs, Gail Grasmick and Adele Sanchez, for all their hard work on the event! Your involvement and support has a great impact and it is very much appreciated! #bgcsequoias #greatfutures #tularecounty #bgclubs #strathmoreca #strathmorecalifornia

Farmersville's Tricks to Fix members just finished building this beautiful picnic table! This project was made possible thanks to Pat Hunt Construction, who so generously donated all the lumber. Also, Club members recently sanded three Little Free Libraries (which you may have seen in our previous post) and gave them a colorful paint job. These libraries are placed throughout Farmersville. Young people can take books from the Little Free Libraries and add books from their homes they no longer need. We can't wait to see what project this group will take on next! #bgcsequoias #aplacetobecome #TulareCounty #bgclubs #farmersville #farmersvilleca #farmersvillecalifornia

From a mock interview to a real job! Ashton, one of our Visalia Club members, recently received a job offer from Taco Bell. It all started with the Career Launch program, where Club Director Kristy taught this group the basics of resumes, first impressions, and an overall successful job interview. Then as an exercise, members had mock interviews at Taco Bell. Well, Taco Bell management was so impressed with Ashton's interview, they called the Club and offered him a position! Now, Ashton will start his orientation this month. Congratulations, Ashton! Thank you, Taco Bell, for your support in preparing our Club members for their futures! #bgcsequoias #greatfutures #tularecounty #bgclubs #visalia #visaliaca #visaliacalifornia

Denzel Washington, BGCA's National Spokesperson, helped celebrate the grand opening of the 5,000th Boys & Girls Club. He toured the new Club (located in South Elgin, Illinois) and interacted with the Club kids, inspiring them as he was once inspired. Denzel knows the Club's impact on a child—he says that he has never forgotten about his experiences at the Boys & Girls Club. In this interview, Denzel told GMA that when he first walked into the Boys & Girls Club, he was a nervous 6-year-old kid. "What am I now? I'm still that 6-year-old, wide-eyed kid who's curious about life," said Denzel. For the past 30 years, Denzel has been the spokesperson for Boys & Girls Club of America. Over that time, he has inspired numerous young people by relating to them and being an example of what they can achieve. Denzel and the alum pictured above are just a few of the countless success stories that have come from the, now, 5,000 Clubs worldwide! Watch the full story via the link in our bio! #bgcsequoias #greatfutures #tularecounty #bgclubs

These Woodlake Club teens got an inside look at 4Creeks Inc.! 4Creeks is a design-oriented firm that runs six core disciplines under one incorporation: engineering, surveying, planning, construction, architecture, and utilities. Not only did members get to tour the 4 Creeks office, but they also got to speak to several individuals in the company with different roles—one of them being CEO Danielle Avila! Danielle was very inspiring—she encouraged our teens to explore higher education and to be open to the opportunities that arise in life. Additionally, the teens were very curious to learn from 4Creeks' professionals, asking questions such as "What's the most challenging part of your job," "Are you proud of your career," and "What motivates you?" Overall, our members walked away with a better insight into the career opportunities available to them. Thank you, 4Creeks, for being hospitable and organizing this impactful experience! #bgcsequoias #greatfutures #tularecounty #woodlake #woodlakeca #woodlakecalifornia

Woodlake Serve Squad is at it again! Seventeen members recently visited the Woodlake Fire Department to help fill sandbags in preparation for the stormy weather. Members were happy to know that they could help with the recent flooding by volunteering for this task!

Our Club members are always up to the challenge! The NFL has partnered with Boys & Girls Clubs of America for the #BGCSkillsChallenge, where Club kids around the country participate in their own Pro Bowl Games Skills competitions. Here, you can see our members taking on the following challenges: precision passing, longest jump, four square, and flag tag. Great job, members, for stepping up and putting your skills to the test! #ProBowlGames #OurProBowl

Teamwork! Woodlake Club members just completed this challenging candy-themed puzzle as a part of their Power Hour homework time. Members would work on this puzzle once they finished their daily assignments, continuing where they left off the previous day. They enjoyed gathering around the table with their friends and taking on this brain game as a team. As a reward for completing this challenge, staff handed out the treats pictured in the puzzle. Unit Director Erika Villa said, "Our members look forward to building more puzzles and making it a fun team-working experience!" #bgcsequoias #TulareCounty #bgclubs #woodlakeca #woodlakecalifornia #woodlake

Visalia Club members recently visited the Ross Dress for Less on Mooney Blvd. to represent the Boys & Girls Club! Ross holds an annual checkout fundraiser in support of our Clubs, and the Visalia Club wanted to be there to show their appreciation. Members Ximena, Bryan, and Giselle handed out cupcakes to the Ross team, and every time a customer donated, they cheered with gratitude or did a funny dance. They also helped by putting away shopping carts and handing out flyers at their booth. Visalia Club Director Kristy Galvan said, "This was a great opportunity to give the Ross team a glimpse of who we serve in our community. At the end of the visit, the managers thanked us for going out by giving each member a 10-dollar gift card. All in all, the event turned out great, and it will be something we look forward to next year." #bgcsequoias #aplacetobecome #TulareCounty #greatfutures #bgclubs #visalia #visaliaca #visaliacalifornia #rossdressforless

Join us for our 2023 COMIX Fundraiser! Along with Johnny Sanchez, we will get some big laughs from Geoff Keith and Patrick DeGuire. You don't want to miss out! We have sponsorships available for those who would like to show extra support to the Tulare Boys & Girls Club. Please visit bgcsequoias.org/tularecomix to view all the sponsorship opportunities we have available. #bgcsequoias #bgclubs #tularecounty #tulare #tulareca #tularecalifornia

Pictured above is Luz, a former Tulare Club Member. In a speech she gave at one of our events in 2017, she said, "The Club has done many things for me; it changed me, helped me improve myself, and made me happy because it gave me a family..." This spring, Luz will graduate from CSU, Fresno, and receive a bachelor's degree in Criminology-Forensic Behavioral Sciences. Luz is one of many Club Kids across America who has gone on to do incredible things with their lives. We appreciate it when they return to our Clubs to share their stories with our younger club kids, inspiring them to be confident in their endeavors. Whether you attended a Club in Tulare County or elsewhere, we welcome you to join the Boys & Girls Club family. Please visit bgcsequoias.org/alumni. We'd love to connect with you to see how the Clubs have impacted your life and invite you to share your success to inspire our current Club members, supporters, and fellow alums. Also, if you know someone who is a Club alumnus, tag them in this post! #inspiregreatfutures #bestafterschoolprogram #bestafterschoolcare #BGCAlumni #tularecounty

The Exeter Club held a Black History trivia contest to celebrate Black History Month. They stepped up the competition by inviting the Strathmore Club, BGCA administration, and community members. The trivia questions focused on influential individuals in Black History and Entertainment. Club members had a blast and were thrilled with the competition, but most importantly, they learned more about the significant impact that African Americans have had on our country. #bgcsequoias #aplacetobecome #greatfutures #TulareCounty #exeter #exeterca #exetercalifornia

Woodlake Club teens are on a roll! With the guidance of Serve Prep Coordinator, Teresa Farfan, the teens have participated in several community service projects. They volunteered their time by walking dogs at Valley Oak SPCA this time. The teens enjoyed being in the company of these delightful animals, and we are sure the feeling was mutual! Teresa Farfan is passionate about mentoring our teens and instilling the importance of community service. She said, "This service project was a win, win. The kids could do something kind for the SPCA by walking the dogs, and we had time to talk and bond as a group.”

Thank you for giving kids moments like this.