September Newsletter

CEO Letter

Happy Fall, y’all! This is the most beautiful time of year in Colorado, and I hope you are all out enjoying the incredible weather and gorgeous colors! This week we decided to take advantage of my son’s school-out day and head up to Rocky Mountain National Park for some leaf peeping. We didn’t get the opportunity to hike as much as we normally do this summer and my 12-year-old was daunted by the 5.4-mile roundtrip trek to Ouzel Falls. He complained that he was tired and prematurely decided that he might not make it to our destination.

As we drove to Estes Park, I tried to remind him of his past hiking accomplishments. On the trail, we chatted about school, life, and video game strategies that felt like a foreign language. When we arrived at Ouzel Falls a little over an hour later, he smiled as he snacked and said how happy he was that we had gone the entire way.

When kids have an opportunity to stretch and see their true capabilities, worldviews change, self-confidence builds, and dreams begin to form. We see it at BGCLC every day. As I watched our Youth of the Year take the stage at our Spring Soiree in May, he was an entirely different young man than the one who nervously gave his speech in February. He beamed a smile so bright it lit up the ballroom and the pride he showed at the podium brought me to tears.

The same was true when our Summer of Discovery Shark Tank winners heard their names announced. Their shock and disbelief quickly turned to celebration and I could feel the shift that was taking place among the three teenagers. Challenges look different when you sense you may actually accomplish them.

Nelson Mandela said, “It always seems impossible until it’s done”. Maybe all we need is just a little encouragement to get there.

Who will you inspire today?

With gratitude,

Chief Executive Officer

AMD Connects Clubs with Tech and STEM

Throughout the years, AMD has supported Boys & Girls Clubs of Larimer County by giving to our annual holiday Club Gifts drive and donating STEM supplies. This year, AMD awarded our Fort Collins, Loveland-Pulliam, and Sage Homes Wellington Clubs with a tech grant, providing for the purchase of new laptops, charging stations, network upgrades, and more.

AMD also kindly donated STEM kits to our Clubs this month, encouraging members to build a propeller car while exploring engineering. AMD volunteers joined to facilitate and guide members as they created moving model cars.

“I hope it opened their eyes and interest to the world of engineering, and all of the possibilities within that field,” said Kimberly Williams, AMD Community Affairs Liaison and volunteer.

We’re so grateful for the support in providing high-quality tech and STEM programming!

BGCLC Staff Prepares for the Colorado Academic Accelerator Program

With the help of state funding from the Colorado Academic Accelerator opportunity, we are excited to offer an expansion of programming for youth that is aimed at heightening student learning with academic support and tutoring, enrichment activities, and family engagement in partnership with Thompson School District and Estes Park School District.

Our Loveland team traveled to Golden, Colorado to begin training with the Colorado Department of Education.

They spent the day learning about the program with other organizations and started plans to accelerate math skills in Club. We’re so excited to embark on this expansion of services to further enrich the quality of out-of-school programming we offer for youth who need us most!

Thank You for Supporting the For the Kids Golf Classic!

Thank you to everyone who joined us at this year’s Fore the Kids Golf Classic!

Thanks to your generosity, we can continue to provide high-quality, affordable out-of-school programming for 2,000 youth in Larimer County.

We couldn’t do it without your support!

Join Us at our Donor Appreciation Event

Wednesday, November 20

4:30 – 6:00 p.m.

The Rio Agave Room

149 W Mountain Ave, Fort Collins, CO 80524

Are you a supporter of BGCLC? We want to celebrate YOU! Join us as we recognize our community of supporters and learn about the impact you have made on youth in Larimer County. Enjoy an evening of complimentary drinks, a burrito bar, and celebration!

RSVP using the link below or by emailing Caitlin Carter at ccarter@bgclarimer.org.

We hope to see you there!

RSVP Here!

News & Announcements

Thank You for Supporting the Dohn Construction Golf Tournament!

We’re so grateful to everyone who supported Dohn Construction’s golf tournament!

The tournament raised a whopping $34,000 to support high-quality out-of-school programming for Larimer County youth and families.

We truly couldn’t do it without the incredible support of our community.

Thank you!

Support BGCLC at Ace Gillett’s Throughout September

Every month, Ace Gillett’s in Fort Collins chooses a local non-profit to benefit from their “Cocktails for a Cause” program. and they have graciously selected BGCLC as their September beneficiary!

This month-long fundraiser kicks off on Thursday, Oct. 3. Ace Gillet’s will donate 10% of the evening’s profits to BGCLC. Plus, $2 of every “Spice of Life” Cocktail sold the rest of the month will be donated to BGCLC.

Please consider stopping by Ace Gillett’s this month and supporting BGCLC!