‘22 Annual Report
FEATURING DATA FROM 01/01/22-12/31/22
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Napa Valley has enjoyed a fruitful and enduring partnership with the Napa Valley Vintners for over a decade. This collaboration has been instrumental in shaping the lives of countless youth in the region. The Vintners have invested a staggering $3 million in the Club's programs since the inception of this partnership, enabling them to touch the lives of thousands of young individuals through invaluable programs that would not have been possible without the Vintners' unwavering support.
One of the most formidable challenges faced by the Boys & Girls Clubs of Napa Valley is securing consistent, reliable and unrestricted funding. The ability to provide a stable and dependable environment for youth is paramount. It is crucial for these young minds to know that the Club will be there for them, ready to honor its commitment and provide the support they need. Whether it's assistance with homework every day at 3:30 or guidance in their personal and academic pursuits, the Club strives to maintain its unwavering commitment to these children. However, achieving this level of dedication becomes increasingly difficult when uncertainties arise regarding the availability, timing, and extent of financial contributions. The Vintners' commitment to providing continued annual funding is a beacon of hope and stability for the Club. It allows us to plan for the future, be intentional in our approach, and make meaningful investments in the lives of the youth we serve.
What sets this regular support apart is the unique level of trust placed in the Boys & Girls Clubs of Napa Valley and other recipients by the Napa Valley Vintners. While it may be relatively easier to secure funding for specific interest projects such as Fine Arts programs or workforce development initiatives, calls for the essential but less glamorous aspects of operational funds often go unanswered. Facility maintenance, insurance, and other infrastructure costs are crucial to ensuring a safe and nurturing environment for the children. These are the essential elements that make the "fun stuff" possible, but they are rarely the focus of donors' excitement or attention. Nevertheless, the Club must ensure that its facilities are clean, well-maintained, and always ready to welcome children. The Napa Valley Vintners stand out in their support by investing in the Club without imposing any restrictions on how the funding is utilized. They place their trust in the expertise and judgment of the Club, allowing them the freedom to make sound investments in the children's well-being, whether it means introducing new innovative programs or covering essential expenses like paying the utility bills to ensure a strong and reliable internet connection for distance learners. The Vintners recognize the value of the Club's work in the community and empower them to adapt and shape their youth development strategies accordingly.
While the Napa Valley is often celebrated for its prestigious wine and hospitality industries, it is essential to remember that at its core, it is a community of people striving to improve lives in the place they call home. The Napa Valley Vintners embody this ethos by consciously supporting programs and initiatives that enhance the lives of local residents, who are the heart and soul of the Napa Valley brand. Their dedication to making a positive impact extends beyond their immediate industry and into the lives of individuals and families who rely on the Boys & Girls Clubs of Napa Valley for support, guidance, and opportunities.
To express gratitude for the exceptional support provided by the Napa Valley Vintners, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Napa Valley, in partnership with the Napa Valley Wine Train, launched the "Thank You Vintners" initiative in the spring of 2022. Full-size banners were prominently displayed on the Napa Valley Wine Train in the weeks leading up to the Vintners Barrel Auction. This grand gesture aimed to recognize the Vintners' pivotal role in making the Club's work easier, deeper, and ultimately better. The quiet appreciation and behind-the-scenes support from the Vintners truly enrich the Club's ability to fulfill its mission.
The "Thank You Vintners" event not only served as a gesture of gratitude but also as a reminder to the community of the invaluable contributions made by the Napa Valley Vintners. It aimed to bring attention to the vital role they play in enabling the Boys & Girls Clubs of Napa Valley and its non-profit partners to continue their transformative work. By draping full-size banners on the iconic Napa Valley Wine Train, the event captured the attention of locals and visitors alike, emphasizing the profound impact of the Vintners' partnership. While their support may not always be in the spotlight, it undeniably enhances the Club's operations, allowing us to reach further, dream bigger, and make a lasting difference in the lives of young individuals.
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Napa Valley recognize the Napa Valley Vintners' deep understanding of the local community's needs and aspirations. Their commitment to supporting a wide range of programs and initiatives reflects a holistic approach to improving the quality of life for all residents. By investing in the Club's mission without imposing restrictions, the Vintners empower the organization to adapt and evolve based on the ever-changing needs of the youth they serve. This flexibility enables the Club to shape its programs and services to align with emerging trends, educational advancements, and community priorities.
So, if you have experienced the positive influence of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Napa Valley firsthand, if you recognize the transformative power of their programs, or if you simply appreciate the Napa Valley Vintners' dedication to community well-being, seize this opportunity to extend your thanks.
The work of the Club is very different from that of school, but a growing partnership between NVUSD and the Club continues to demonstrate their commitment to developing students as a whole by positioning Clubs to directly impact the social and emotional development of our children. If you’re a parent, you probably understand that the development of children is a shared experience. They grow through key relationships with teachers, with mentors, with friends and relatives, and of course at home with us as parents. Children, however, don’t grow in parts and that’s why a holistic approach to youth development is so important.
Emerging from the pandemic it became very apparent that students had lost the rhythm and routine of the school day. They were overstimulated in groups and anxious in an atmosphere of conflicting opinions regarding what was and was not safe. This often made it difficult for students to focus in class and that made the work of teachers more difficult. “They have no idea how to work as a group.” “When they walk into class they drop their things on the floor as they make their way to their desks. It takes us an hour every morning just to make sure that their things are stowed in their cubbies so that we can get to work.” These things seem small but they have a direct and cumulative effect on the student experience and their ability to learn. That’s where the Boys & Girls Club really makes it’s impact; we provide services and enrichment that focuses on the social and emotional development of the child. The evolution of this partnership allowed teachers and Club staff to address key deficits jointly with the Club focused on emotional development and teachers prioritizing academic recovery. The clarifying of this work created an ecosystem of support at schools with Club-run afterschool programs over the 21/22 school year and was demonstrated in declining behavioral issues and students who were better prepared to learn.
That success led to an expanded partnership between the Club and NVUSD in the form of Summer For All. Summer school is a critical component in the academic recovery of students but a shortage of qualified teachers left NVUSD poorly resourced to effect the kind of sweeping investments required. “We all recognized that we needed to do more, and that we could accomplish more by
consolidating our efforts supportively,” said Matt Manning of NVUSD. The result was an expanded and revolutionary partnership. NVUSD allocated state funding and space so that the Boys & Girls Club could dramatically expand its summer operations and provide full day care coupled with programs and enrichment to 2,000 children over six weeks of summer. These programs were offered free of charge and more importantly they provided a framework through which NVUSD could maximize the impact of credentialed summer school teachers by providing targeted intervention to students without getting bogged down in the primary care of those children. This cooperative approach had never been attempted locally but the impact of that collaboration resulted in an incredible opportunity for 2,000 students; the benefit of which is again being reflected in classrooms as we return to school this year. “You can definitely see a difference between the kids who did and didn't attend summer programs,” said one teacher a week after the school year began.
This partnership continues to expand as evidenced by new programs opening at Browns Valley Elementary School, Redwood Middle School, and Unidos Middle School. With the addition of these programs the Club has expanded its enrollment to 2,200 students district wide and that number is expected to grow dramatically in the coming months. “These are incredible opportunities for our students and we’re excited by our partnership with the Boys & Girls Club,” said Pat Andry-Jennings, Assistant Superintendent Instructional Services at Napa Valley Unified School District. It’s important to note that the Club and NVUSD are approaching this partnership with intentional growth. The successes of last school year set the stage for incredible summer programs. The Club’s hiring efforts to staff those programs will have a direct impact on its transition to the 22/23 school year by ensuring that these programs are fully staffed with engaged, trained, and high caliber mentors. “We’re only just getting started,” the Club’s Executive Director Greg Bouillerce said. “We’re eager to expand the number of children served but more than this we’re elevating the nature of our programs- Robotics programs, music programs, mental health services, everything is on the table for us at the moment. We believe firmly that if kids are placed in engaging environments and those places are staffed with incredible mentors, that great futures are the result. We’re blessed to have NVUSD as an avid partner in this pursuit.”
ith our return to in person programs this past summer and then school campuses in mid August an important conversation has been brewing among us as a community regarding learning loss. While that conversation is important there’s a separate and equivalent deficit to be addressed with regard to Social and Emotional wellness. Learning is a cornerstone of youth development but it is relationships and our ability to work together that propels society forward.
In March of 2020, like all of us, children across the nation severed ties with the outside world. We left schools and clubs and built these insulated pockets of humanity; together but still divided. Unlike adults, however, the loss of contact to friends, extended family members, and mentors meant that skills we develop as children and rely on to be successful as adults were set aside. This included essential skills like emotional intelligence, relationship building, and community engagement which could not be practiced in a vacuum and have atrophied. Suppose for a moment that you are seven years old. You’ve spent the last 18 months largely at home with older siblings. It has been a very different experience from your life as a first grader. You woke up that morning in March and the largest constant in your life, school, had shut down. The friends you had there, the teachers you loved, all of the normalcy and structure that gave you context to understand and interpret the world around you and your role in it vanished overnight. For the next year you were almost entirely reliant on your immediate family members and a school issued Chromebook for meaningful social and academic growth. You don’t do sleepovers anymore. The big family dinner every Sunday was cancelled. You don’t have the option to spend time with friends separately and then one day you are plunged back into the thick of it. You are cast from your very intimate bubble into a sea of children who are all struggling to adapt. The importance of learning loss is a large part of the story but not the whole story.
If you have kids, you have probably seen evidence of this behavior at home. How much TV are they watching? How much time are they spending on video games? How long have they been staring at their phone. In short, the hidden cost of the pandemic extends beyond the gradebook and into the fundamental shift in how our children interact with the world in the absence of
social contact, social expression, and most importantly social awareness. As a result, it’s on us as parents, teachers, and mentors to reset their environments by positively deconstructing a false normalcy induced as a result of safety concerns in the wake of the pandemic. That work isn’t easy. School and afterschool relies on reinforced social norms and expectations and the transition back to school has been brutal for our younger kids. Teacher’s commiserated with our staff recently that “They have no idea how to work as a group.” “When they walk into class they drop their things on the floor as they make their way to their desks. It takes us an hour every morning just to make sure that their things are stowed in their cubbies so that we can get to work.” These things seem small but they have a direct and cumulative effect on the student experience and their ability to learn.
Despite millions of dollars invested in digital learning and recovery in the county of Napa, we’ve paid little attention to social deficits associated with the pandemic. Those deficits continue to manifest in the form of social anxiety, behavioral outbursts, and continued isolationism. There’s hope though for those who recognize the opportunity. This type of learning isn't work you need a qualified professional to do. We all have the ability to have a lasting impact on the social and emotional health of our children by signing them up for activities and gently pushing them back into the world around us.
That’s why agencies like the Boys & Girls Club are so important as they create opportunities for youth to experiment with and master these skills in a safe and engaging environment. Just look at any of the programing available at the Club and you’ll see a variety of activities specifically and intentionally delivered to address these deficits. We do this through our fine arts programs which allow kids to express their emotional state through art. We do this through our sports programs, which keep our kids actively engaged and communicating as a team. We do this through our mental health programs which, with the help of Mentis Counselors, provide teens with a platform to talk about issues and personal struggles in a safe and productive environment. These critical opportunities force youth to breach the artificial and insular pockets we created during the pandemic and return to normalcy. You cannot hit the pause button on youth, but at the Boys & Girls Club, perhaps you can hit the fast forward button on growth.
As kids we are often taught to mind our manners. To say please and thankyou. To speak respectfully with our elders. Being polite is a core part of thriving in modern society, but reinforcing social expectations without a framework of kindness leads to adults who often remember to say “please” and “thank you” as a rule but fail to use these tools to invest in relationships upon which communities are built.
Politeness and kindness are often used interchangeably in our everyday conversations, but in reality, they are two distinct concepts with different implications. While politeness is focused on adhering to social norms and customs, kindness is centered on the genuine concern for others' well-being.
As parents and caregivers, it's crucial that we model kindness to our children. Kindness is a powerful force that can have a transformative impact on our relationships and society as a whole. When we prioritize kindness in our interactions, we create a culture of empathy, respect, and understanding.
Politeness may help us navigate social situations, but kindness is what truly connects us to one another. When we show kindness, we recognize that every person has inherent value and deserves to be treated with compassion and dignity. This is especially important for children, as they are still developing their sense of self and their place in the world.
When we model kindness for our children, we teach them how to be caring, empathetic, and inclusive. We show them that it's possible to disagree with someone while still treating them with respect and compassion. We also demonstrate that it's okay to make mistakes and apologize when we've hurt someone, and that forgiveness and understanding are essential components of healthy relationships.
In a world that can often be harsh and divided, kindness is a beacon of hope. It allows us to build bridges instead of walls, to see the humanity in others instead of their differences. When we prioritize kindness in our interactions with our children and with others, we create a better world for ourselves and future generations.
From the Boys & Girls Club perspective, family life depends on the strength of daily routines, which helps parents manage their children's behavior and builds the framework for their future. The Club encourages families to incorporate small, daily changes to cultivate kindness and compassion in children. Here are nine ways to raise kind kids:
1. Make time for an early morning pause: Wake up children half an hour earlier than necessary to allow for a slower pace, and share goals for the day. Tuning into the world around you can provide a sense of well-being, and research shows that teaching children to think positively about themselves improves self-compassion and pro-social behavior.
2. Adopt empowering refrains: Encourage kind kids with phrases that are specific and honest. Children can detect insincerity, so it's important to use these phrases authentically.
3. Celebrate acts of kindness in a concrete way: Foster new habits and reach difficult goals by letting your family know that kindness and helping others is a priority. Try making a visual display with a Kindness Quilt printable or make time each day to ask, "Who did you help today?" and "Who helped you?"
4. Play together daily: Reserve a half-hour after dinner to play, which gives your family a chance to shed the day's stress and reset your minds and bodies for tomorrow. These moments of intentional joy will make it easier to share compassion tomorrow.
5. Add a recurring volunteer effort to the calendar: Regular volunteering with your child gives them a strong sense of empowerment and translates into the courage to stand up for others when social conflict arises.
6. Cut down on unsupervised weekday screen time: The most essential learning tool of childhood is play, and reducing screen time helps kids to be kids. Encourage children to climb trees, build epic Lego towers, and talk with siblings and neighbors.
7. Seek out one good news story to share each day: Research shows that alarming news stories can cause emotional depletion and a greater sense of apathy and cynicism. Sharing one good news story each day can help to counteract this negativity.
8. Model kindness: Parents should model kindness and compassion, as children learn best by example.
9. Make time for family traditions: Family traditions create a sense of belonging and make childhood memorable. They can be simple or elaborate, but the important thing is to make time for them.
The Boys & Girls Club believes that small, daily changes can have a big impact on cultivating kindness and compassion in children. That’s a core part of our strategy in our mission to connect kids to great futures. And these practices can help to create a positive and supportive family environment.
EditorsNote:ThisarticlewasoriginallyreleasedinthewakeoftheShootingatRobbElementary SchoolinJuneof2022.
Ispokewithcolleaguesinthewakeofyesterday'stragedyinUvalde,Texas.Ispokewithfriends lastnightaswegrievedforthosefamilies.Ispokewithparentsthismorningastheybrought theirchildrentoschool.Theseconversationsleftmereflectingonyesterdaymorning,andwhat thatexperiencelookedlikefortheparentsofRobbElementarySchool.Everyoneofthese parent'sbegantheirdaybytakingtheirchildtoasafespace.Everyoneofthemfullyexpected tohearaboutadayofart,math,andgrowingfriendshipsthatevening.Noneofthemexpected thatthatmorning'sgoodbyewouldbethelast.Thelasthug.Thelastsmile.Thelast"Ilove you."
Grief,fear,andvulnerabilitypermeatethissphereasmassshootings,contention,andhate continuetoerodethesafetyofthesespacesduringandafterschool.Andwhilethesetragedies areoftenusedtofuelimportantandongoingdebatesaboutgunviolence,mentalhealthand systemicracism,thesediscussionshavedonelittletomitigatethefrequencyandseverityof theseevents.
Yesterdayafternoon,SalvadorRamoswalkedintoRobbElementarySchoolandkilled19 childrenandtwoteachers.Ithinkit'simportanttorecognizethatatthecenterofthisevent,and thoselikeit,wefindmonsters.Peoplewith,asGovernorAbbottsaidthismorning,"evilintheir hearts." Ithinkit'simportant,however,torecognizethatthesemonsterswerenotcreated overnight.Asguardiansofyouth,ourmissiontoserve"thosewhoneedusmost,"drives everythingwedo.Thatworkchangesthenarrativeforkidswhocontinuetobefailedby systemsthatareunequippedtoprovideasenseofcareandbelonging.
InthewakeofColumbine,SandyHook,Parkland,Robbandsomanyotherswehavelearned thatmadnessistheresultofgrowingupintheabsenceofpeoplewhocareaboutus.That's whytheClubissovital.I'vewatchedstaffbuildinclusivityandcareintowhattheydoevery-day afterschool.Whenakidlashesoutinaprogram,thestaffguidethemback.Whenakidsnapsat someonefortakingtheirspot,thestaffcreatesafespacestoreinforcepositiveconflict strategies.Whenakidneedsaquietmomenttobreathe,wegivethemthatcalm.Whenakid
needssomeonetorecognizetheirtriumphs,nomatterhowsmall,it'sthepersonwearinga staffshirtwhosay's"greatwork."
Youwillfindstafffightingtocreateacommunityofcareeverydayafterschool.Theydothis forkidswithdisabilities;Theydothisforkidsfrombrokenhomes;Theydothisforkidswho liveinpoverty;Theydothisforkidswhofeelalone.Theycreateactivitiesthathelpthem developskillsandaidethemastheynavigateconflict,socialdynamics,andrelationships. Theybuildthesecommunitiesthroughsharedexperiences,throughsports,andthrough engagement.Thisiswhatpreventionlookslike.
Iamstrugglingtoday,asIalwaysdointhewakeoftheseincidents.Asaformerstaff,it sometimesfeelslikemyeffortshavebeenineffective,butwhenIreflectontheworkour Clubsaredoing,itgivesmehopethatthroughoursharedcommitmenttothosewhoneed usmost,wewillcontinuetofosterandelevatethiscommunityofcareforNapaValley.I don'tpretendthatthisistheonlysolution,butwe'refightingtomakesureeverykidhasa safeplacewheretheyfeelliketheyareimportant,caredfor,andbelong.That'sthekindof communityallofusshouldstrivetobuild.Thankyouforyoursupport.Thankyouforyour advocacy.Thankyouforyourempathy.Thankyouforyourawareness.Thankyouforyour generosity.Thisiswhyyoursupportmatters.
Ifanyofyouarestrugglingwithhowtohelpinthismoment,pleasemaketimetoreach outtothechildreninyourlifetoletthemknowthattheyareseen,thatyoulovethem,and thatyouareaccessible.TheClubishappytosharepersonalandprofessionalresourceson howtotalkabouttraumaandtraumainformedcareifdesired.Pleasecontactusandwe'll connectyoutothem.
Diego walked into the Club today ready to play dodgeball, instead, he’s making a scarecrow puppet in the art room. Sabrina was excited to hang out with her friends in the gamesroom when she got to the Club, but she’s helping the Halloween Carnival Planning Committee choose games and activities for the big event on the 31st. Dana had just finished her homework and was ready to go check out the new cooking activity in the Kitchen when the site director asked her to give a new member and their parent a tour. These moments are important, but it’s easy to miss why Diego, Sabrina, and Dana are being pushed into new activities. There’s a deeper and more important lesson at work for those who take the time to look a little more closely.
At the Club we believe in the value of discomfort. The discomfort of saying “yes,” to new challenges and opportunities is really a mask for personal growth. Diego wasn't interested in art, but that art activity might change his life and when he sees his art on display at the Club, or featured in a local art show, it changes his whole perspective on the value of that activity and his capabilities in that sphere. Sabrina wanted to hang out in the gamesroom with her friends but now she’s building new relationships, giving her perspective on a project, and helping to make that project a reality with her peers. That kind of teambuilding experience might be vital to her as an adult. Dana was content to get in on the cooking activity that afternoon, but now she’s giving a tour to a peer and an adult. She’s building a relationship in a whole new context. She’s developing public speaking skills and, more, she’s speaking with authority on a subject she knows about. We feel its important to push kids every day to experiment; to step beyond themselves and their comfort zones. So much of their potential is completely unexplored and that only remains true if we allow them to keep doing the same old thing.
There’s a lot of power in this approach. Saying “Yes” helps youth explore themselves through new challenges and opportunities. Look at the alumni list of Boys & Girls Clubs and you’ll find former presidents, world class athletes and performers, high performance executives and leaders. But, behind each of these alumni, was a kid who came to the Club because they knew it was going to be fun. Erroll, now retired Rear Admiral Erroll Brown, just wanted to play basketball, “I had made an art of doing the bare minimum at school and it wasn't until the staff at the Club figured out what I was up to that things started to change. They made sure I had finished my work before I could go play basketball and, aside from academics, that taught me self-discipline. That made all the difference for me.”
Matt Pfaltzgraph, Club alumni and CEO and Founder of the startup Fintech was never one of those kids who ever got great grades, but the ability to talk to peers and mentors was refined right here at the Boys & Girls Club- even if those skills were often used to talk himself out of trouble. As an adult those lessons translate into how he builds and manages teams today and those skills have been vital in the development and success of his many ventures. Saying “Yes” helps youth build new relationships and refine skill sets that build incredible teams.
Saying “Yes” helps youth experiment with failure as a tool for personal growth. That was something that really separated Michael Collins, ESPN Golf Analyst and comedian from his peers. His relationship with failure was very different from his friends and colleagues who were often terrified of or deeply discouraged by failure. “At the Club we were always failing, but that’s the thing. If you’re not failing, you’re not really pushing your boundaries. It’s how you plan for and use failure. That’s the key. That approach also taught me to laugh at myself and that helped ease the burden of being my own worst critic.”
As former Club kids, their relationship to the power of saying “Yes” evolves. This is, after all, a lesson woven into the fabric of the Club experience. It’s natural to think of this as a way to supercharge your personal and professional development, but at the same time it’s very self-absorbed in that we often begin by saying “yes” to things that directly benefit us as individuals. As adults, you reach a point where the power of yes evolves into saying “yes” to and for others. Setting others up for success, setting others up for personal exploration, doing good work for others. It’s often very easy to identify people who come from or have benefitted from environments like this as they’re often the first to volunteer their time, their experience, or their wealth if that investment means lifting others up.
Dana might grow up to be president one day. Diego, might be the next Banksy. Sabrina might be responsible for the development and launch of a new world changing start-up. These experiences and achievements are exactly what we mean when we talk about connecting kids to great futures. But those achievements pale, by comparison to, how these children will give back to their communities as adults; how they will say “yes” to and for others. That’s the deeper lesson at work for those who take the time to look closely. That’s how the power of yes changes the world.
What would you do with a million dollars? For those who play the lottery it’s a common and exciting question. Unfortunately for those lucky enough to hit the jackpot, what begins as an unmitigated windfall often ends poorly. Perhaps this is why so many funders look at unrestricted grants as a risky proposition, but in actuality, the impact of consistent, reliable, unrestricted funding on Non Profit Organizations like the Boys & Girls Clubs of Napa Valley result in healthier organizations that actively make deeper and more meaningful investments in the community. This type of funding quite literally elevates everything non profits do.
Despite their importance, funding for non-profits often comes with restrictions that limit their effectiveness. There is a growing movement in philanthropy that advocates for more unrestricted grants, where donors provide large sums of money without restrictions and trust the non-profits to use them effectively. However, this practice is still uncommon as it is considered risky by many donors.
Recent research by the Center for Effective Philanthropy and Panorama Global examined the impact of unrestricted grants on a number of organizations that received unrestricted grants from the MacKenzie Scott Foundation and found that the effects were "dramatically and profoundly positive." In conjunction with this analysis, the Ballmer Group also made large unrestricted grants to 21 US based non-profits as a case study to identify the benefits or potential hazards of unrestricted funding. These grants were disbursed evenly over five years, and grantees were told there was a possibility of renewal. The funds from the grants were used to strengthen the organizations, invest in their programs, and build resilience, which created conditions that optimized the granted organizations allowing for deeper and far reaching impact on a much larger scale.
Leaders from 18 of the Ballmer Group grantees were interviewed, and public data was analyzed for all 21 to understand their experience over the initial five-year grant period. The funds from the grants created space for leaders to lead, built morale within the organizations, allowed for re-granting or other forms of collaboration across the broader field, and served as a "vote of confidence" in conversations with other donors.
Investing in operational supports as well as programs was found to be imperative to creating healthy organizations capable of delivering the impact they set out to achieve. In other words, while it might be exciting to launch a new stem lab, the lights still need to work and the toilets still need to flush and over emphasizing the former over the latter can lead to dire and smelly circumstances. As to the case study grantees, the funds were used to increase impact directly by providing growth capital for expansion, innovating on their model, particularly around digital delivery, and adding frontline staff. Nearly 90% of the grantees used funds to shore up foundational capabilities, such as measurement and
learning, IT systems, and fundraising. Over 70% reported investing in organizational resilience, as reflected in their average cash reserves, which increased from about 3.5 months in 2017 to 6.5 months in 2021.
The leaders of the organizations were unanimous in their positive experiences over the study. These experiences highlighted important themes regarding large, unrestricted grants, what they enable and, more importantly, stressed the limitations of more restrictive grantmaking practices. Key takeaways included the ability for organizations to invest in building their foundations as well as their programs. They built key efficiencies by allowing them to adapt and remain flexible to the needs of the community as they developed. Furthermore, these investments allowed them to refine their scope and vision, by providing bandwidth to focus on creating healthier organizations capable of delivering the impact they set out to achieve.
Great, but why is this relevant to Napa? While MacKenzie Scott doesn’t currently reside in Napa County, there are many local organizations who rely on an ever tightening unrestricted grant supply. The decline in this type of funding partially explains the growth of local event based fundraising and direct appeals but with every non-profit hosting an annual gala and mail boxes crammed with mailers that market too has become hyper competitive and, because of the costs associated with production, marketing, and orchestration the investment, inherently risky. The anxiety among nonprofits should come as no surprise then when local foundations which traditionally supply unrestricted sources of funding deviate from that practice. Especially in the wake of earthquakes, wild fires, and Covid, all of which require non profits to remain nimble and flexible to the needs of their communities in emergent situations.
Investing in the Boys & Girls Clubs of Napa Valley, among others, through unrestricted grants is an effective way to ensure that they can continue to provide safe and supportive environments for children. The unrestricted nature of these grants allows the organization to invest in building their foundations as well as their programs and gives them the flexibility required to navigate dynamic and rapidly changing circumstances faced by our community. This is crucial for an organization like the Club, which relies heavily on community support to continue its work.
Lastly, investing in the Boys & Girls Club through unrestricted grants establishes trust in their priorities and capacity as an agency. With over 65 years as an independent agency and tens of thousands of youth served over that time they are experts in their field and supported by passionate professionals who are committed to making a difference for kids, families, and the Napa Valley community at large.
Are you, your foundation, or your business interested in exploring unrestricted funding? Contact us at Info@begreatnv.org to learn more about how the Club has leveraged these gifts previously and our track record of success!
Dear people who love the club , I wanted to wish you a Happy Valentines Day and say thank you for all that you do to help us. You make it possible for me and other kids like me to have a safe and fun place to go after school.
Thanks to you, I have get to do things like art. Yesterday I drew a picture of my family and our new dog. I have made new friends, done lots of new things, and had a lot of fun.
So on this Valentimes Day, I want you to know how much this place and you means to me. Thank you for caring about me. Thank you for believing in me.
Thank you again for your support and Happy Valentines Day!
For me, as a Club member I am a voice for other youth around me. I make changes and advocate for the things that are important to me and others in my generation. As a Club member, I collaborate and help others. The Club has been the place where I can achieve not only the things that are important to me but also the things that are important to others.
The Club is also a place where I invest in myself. I’ll be leaving for college to earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. Many of the staff have not only offered encouragement in this goal but advice as I weigh opportunities and different ways I could achieve my goals. They help me feel like my goals are not only achievable but that I would be great. That’s a huge confidence booster.
The staff that had the most impact on me was a staff named Caleb. Caleb was there during my first year all the way through the middle of seventh grade. He was one of my favorite staff and even went to my baptism. Caleb was one of the most important people in my life, and when he left, you could see all of the students that he had touched at the Clubhouse. He was there if you needed advice about something, and he had awesome activities that we got to do. He also managed a cooking club, which was a lot of fun.
I became very close with staff like Jacob, who during my eighth-grade year helped me tackle distance learning. I remember Jacob because he was there every day, and he built good relationships with not only me and my friends but with the whole class. He helped me explore my passion for writing. With him we wrote chapters of a story every week and by the end of the year, we had two stories that we had written and drawn digital art for. These staff are only a couple examples of how important this place has been to me.
There was always something to do at the Club. We played gaga every chance we got at the Club. It was just a typical everyday activity that you could choose, but it was always my favorite. I learned to cook at the Club with Caleb. That was a lot of fun and made me discover my love for baking and cooking. During my eighth grade year, I was given the opportunity to participate in the Poetry Slam. This gave me the chance to use my creativity and voice for the first time.
The Boys & Girls Club is one of the best places that I have ever been to. It has allowed me to learn and grow as a person along with others my age. I was able to make connections and always had a group of people who were there for me. The Boys and Girls Club really helped me with my self-confidence and how I felt about myself. Today, I feel more confident in myself. If I could choose whether or not I wanted to go to Boys and Girls Club every day, I would choose to go. I not only get social interaction with other peers my age, but I am able to laugh, grow, and make good memories here.
One step, that’s all it takes. For me that step was the moment my peers and I stepped off the bus to begin our short walk to the Club. Stepping through the doors, I knew I had found a place just for me. At the Boys & Girls Club of Napa Valley I have found a piece of what dreams are made of. I’ve experienced new cultures and communities. I’ve been pushed to explore my passions and where they came from. I have found and listened to mentors and leaders through activities and field trips to colleges and trade schools. The Club has helped me define my next step and, as I graduate high school this spring, I see now how those experiences will influence where me and my peers are headed. I realize now that those steps have all been focused on my own great future, a future that is nearing.
My name is Eduardo Coronado and I’ve been attending the Boys & Girls Clubs of Napa Valley for 11 years. The Club is my second home and I have been attending every day, learning from mistakes, observing healthy choices, and mastering a variety of skills through engaging activities and programs. The Club helped build me up with awareness, built my self confidence, built up my communication skills and helped me build connections. Being a Club kid surrounded me with people from different backgrounds, interests, and experiences and each of these has been a guide and pathway to the place I am today, the leader I have become and the direction of my future.
But I wasn’t truly always like this. My first few days coming to the Club I was trying to overcome being the new kid in town as I not only just arrived at The Club, but I has also just moved to Napa from Indio California; and being away from family I had to try to make new friends fast. Luckily for me I found my first two friends Miguel and Michael on the bus ride after school to the Club and we remain best friends still to this day because of a place we all think of as a second home, the place that brought us together.
Through those friendships I found my favorite activities. The games that truly helped me find my way, connect with others, and find success. You could always find us hanging around the pool table. With the help of older members and staff, playing everyday I quickly became one of the best players at the Club and got my name on the game room champions leaderboard. You might be rolling your eyes right now and thinking, “Ok, so you played pool at the Club. Great.” But it was through pool that I realized what working hard could get me and that changed my mind on what I could achieve.
If the Pool Table taught me how to work hard it was Club’s Tech Lab that really helped me identify a target for what I wanted to do when I grew up. I come from a lowincome family of six and my parents were always having to work hard to provide for us, I never truly had access to technology at home. The Club’s Tech Lab gave me the opportunity to explore, learn how to use computers, how to build structures and even build my very own robot. These programs laid the foundation for my growing passions. Moving to the middle school program of The Napa Clubhouse meant more friends and more opportunities. This also meant more responsibility and higher expectations. I would learn my most difficult lessons but also find my greatest passion. That’s where I met Crystal, a staff who probably had the biggest impact on me. I learned a lot about my core values from Crystal. She taught me a lot about what it means to be respectful and the value of self-respect. She always expected the best out of us and even though I failed many times, she and the Club never gave up on me. I think that’s because they saw a spark in me and worked every day to turn that spark into a fire.
When I got to high school it meant my last stage of my Club experience. Again, more opportunity would come, but this time from me, in the form of an invite to my friend. I had known Jaime for years but I he always seemed to be uncomfortable and struggling against himself. I asked him to come with me to the Club, thinking that maybe the things I had learned about myself here would help him too. Over the next three years I watched him take every opportunity The Club offered and before I knew it, he had turned his whole life around. His transformation within the Club motivated me to overcome the obstacles of my past failures and the labels that they had placed on me and with the help of The Club I also found an opportunity to reinvent myself.
This past year has been my chance to return to the place that built me, and I’ve embraced every opportunity I could. I helped my community by serving with Keystone as Vice President. I joined The Club's workforce development program meeting successful leaders, learning about pathways to careers. I traveled to southern California to tour seven different colleges with my peers. These experiences changed the way we saw our dreams. What I'm most proud of was becoming an artist for the di Rosa project where through the building of a mural, I helped unite my neighborhood. Now as a graduating senior I'm going to take these lessons, opportunities, and connections to pursue a career in construction management to build myself, my family, and my community the great future we all deserve. 11 years ago, I took my first steps into a place that would change my life and this June I’ll step into the great future I’ve created through all the steps in between. I am the future and because of The Boys and Girls Clubs of Napa Valley, the future is now!
As my brothers and I walk down Pueblo Avenue in Napa, the street we grew up on, I see a beautiful community full of culture, loyalty, hardworking people, and family. At the same time, my community is surrounded by gangs, violence, and a lot of opportunity to make bad decisions. That’s why I found myself at the Club, the place that gives kids like me a safe space to exist, a place for friendship, a place that became my second home. My name is Jazmin Valdovinos, and I’m a teen member at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Napa Valley’s Club 1515.
I have been attending The Boys and Girls Clubs for 10 years and to this day I still make that walk down Pueblo every day to the Club. On my best days, my worst days, in the rain and through everything, I always find myself back here. I can remember that first walk and seeing the Club from a distance. It’s the biggest building in my on the block and you can't help but notice those blue hands peeking over everything. My mother sent us that day because she needed a place for us to go while she worked to provide for our family. It was a hard decision for her but she trusted the Club. They’d take care of us, we’d get to eat, and we would be safe.
My first two weeks at The Club was a challenging time. It was hard to open up and make friends. That was until I met Jimena. She helped get me out of my comfort zone and showed me so many activities that I would go on to love; games like “Ship's Captain” in the gym, or the “Smart Girls” program with Crystal where I learned about self-esteem and healthy relationships, and “Power Hour” where I got the help I needed to complete my homework every day. Those days went by so fast and everyday was something new to look forward to. In these walls it was all about just being a kid and I thank but the Club also shielded me from everything that was going on around me outside.
My father passed away and his passing hit me hard, and everything just stopped. I stopped going to the Club. I stopped working at school. I stopped everything. It felt like those years just being a kid were over. I lost myself, I put myself in harmful situations and chose to make bad decisions. I surrounded myself with people who were active in the local gangs and was constantly in fights at school because of it. I was angry and if there was a fight, I was in it.
As years passed, I found my way back to The Boys and Girls Club. I didn't tell anyone at the time, but I knew I needed help and I knew I’d find that help here, but I still struggled with how to ask for that help. I was attending the Club’s teen center every day, but no one new what was going on with me until I made a deep connection with one of the other teens. Azhley was someone I could look up to and one day I decided to open to her. She gave me the motivation to finally seek help. She told me “Jazmin you are not the only person that is dealing with this, many of us here have been through it too, you are not alone.” So, she connected me to Josh, one of the Club’s staff.
That realization that I wasn't alone was a spark and before I knew it, I was telling josh every thing. I told him about my history. I told him the things that were going on. I expressed how I was feeling and instead of talking back at me he listened and gave me great motivation. This is why I
knew the Club was a safe space. I knew that I would find people who had my best interest at heart and staff who I could trust. In that trust, I found safety. And through that safety I was able to work through my feelings and build new relationships. I found myself here and keep coming back because of the people and the joy they bring. I lost myself, but my heart was always here. After all those years of pain and bad decisions I was so close to giving up, but this place made a difference for me. They were always by my side.
At the Club I got back to doing the things I love. I started exercising daily, I took up boxing as a way to express myself, I started communicating with my family better and started taking more opportunities to participate at the Club. I was able to be a part of Napa Valley Youth Leadership Academy where over eight weeks I was able to come together with other middle school students to build leadership skills, go on field trips to a variety of local businesses, learn about teamwork on the zipline and ropes course and meet different successful leaders from our community. This experience showed me my unique leadership strength is in using my voice. I always knew I was someone who was outspoken but now I realized the impact my voice has if I use it wisely.
You’ll always find me at Family night Fridays at the Club. Everything from movie nights, game nights, challenge relays in the gym, to teen night outs where we go on field trips. These nights might seem all fun and games but the impact they have had on me is so meaningful. Friday nights at The Club gave me a chance to be off the streets and choose to do something positive, allowed me and my friends to put our problems aside and let us just be big kids for the night.
The opportunities and the impact The Club has had on my life continue as the teen center has become my second home and the people inside have become my family. This is where I have been able to find my why in life, where I continue to stand up and fight for something bigger than myself. Starting high school during a pandemic was an experience that shook not only myself but our entire community. Again though, The Club was there by my side. While schools were shut down, The Club was open, and it allowed me a safe place to do virtual learning. Having the Club during that time also provided me structure with a schedule I could follow every day and gave me the sense of familiarity I needed. I saw my grades improve and I was able to get the academic and personal help I needed. It was a tough time, but we got through it together and I like to think we are coming out of it stronger than before.
This year with the encouragement of our Keystone President, Dareydy, I joined Keystone for the first time and have started to serve and make an impact on my community. As a leader in Keystone over the next few years I plan to use everything the Club has shown me and find ways to use my voice to bring more cultural and ethnic specific programs to our Club and to advocate for more empowering spaces and programs to be funded in schools.
The Boys and Girls Club of Napa Valley through everything has found a way to stand by, stand with, and stand up for my family, my community and me. They have shown me how to open, shown me the power of my voice and how to fight for something way bigger than myself. The Club let me be a kid again and not only provided me a space to safely exist but a space where my future is now empowered. I’m still here and I know that no matter what comes and no matter how many times I get knocked down I'll continue to get back up because at The Club I found my fight.
Some moments seem inconsequential at the time but turn out to be anything but. They spark something in you and though the immediate impact isn’t clear it brings out something within you
The Boys and Girls Club?” That simple question sparked something within me, and I had no idea at the time how important that moment would be to me and my future.
If not for that question, I would have stuck to my routine that day. I would have walked home alone, sunk into the couch, and fallen asleep playing video games. But on October 29, 2019, one simple “yes” would forever change the course of my future, the way I think, the way I do things, and lastly, change the way I see myself.
When I opened the door to the Teen Center, I was surprised to see how full of life the place was. I saw people doing homework, others playing ping pong, a big group of upperclassmen surrounding the desk and my small group of friends hanging out on the couches having a good time. It didn't seem real that this many people could just be here together with no expectations and yet here it was, and I immediately bought in.
That November, I was invited to the Club’s annual friendsgiving/family dinner. It was a whole lot bigger than I ever expected. Aside from all the great food, I watched as many of my friends spoke about how much The Club meant to them and how much they had grown that year. I started to understand that while I loved how relaxed everything was the Club had much more to offer me. I was then invited to The Club's annual Lock in challenge where all of us get together for one night to just put all the pressure of being a teen aside to be big kids again. I saw my peers on stage singing songs, playing hide and seek, playing dodgeball, and coming together in a way that made me feel I was witnessing something way bigger than myself.
That March, the news broke: Shelter in Place and I quickly fell back into old habits. Again, I was alone, stuck inside with no real connection and it felt like every day was just a repeat from the last. Then someone I had become friends with at the Club sent a simple email, “Hey, the Club is open, you going?” How could they be open? No one was open. But he was right and since returning to The Club, I jumped headfirst into everything the Club had to offer and that has changed the whole formula of my life. While most saw the pandemic as a low, my time with that small and close group during the quarantine was an era I will always cherish. It gave me the chance to explore new opportunities and sides
of myself and showed me that I can find ways to innovate and be the new model the world needs.
One day sitting at the Club before class, I flipped through the Club's photo books. I saw hundreds of pictures of alumni, current staff and peers having the time of their lives. As I sat there with the album in hand, I looked around the room and I distinctly remember telling our staff Josh “I wish I was in these photos.” and “I want to do all these things and more.” He told me that opportunities will always come but it's about preparing now so that you're ready for when they do. I carried that message as I remade myself: “I want to capture the opportunities I have at the Club; I'm going to apply myself and be apart this history.”
Oh, and I did! The opportunities came and I’ve done more in the last three years than I had ever done before in my life. Everything from field trips, working in teams, meaningful conversations, to job opportunities, volunteering, access to therapy, collaborating with professional artists, talking with experts from the tech field, gaining certificates in digital design and having fun. Now when you look through those albums, there's not too many photos and moments I'm not a part of and that doesn’t just make me happy it helps me see that I’m part of a greater family of people who care about me and my future.
Some of the most impactful experiences that Club either pushed toward or created for me have been my participation in Napa Learns and Google career programs where I was able to receive certifications in Adobe suite and am now on a direct path to a future career. These opportunities and the success that I have had because of them couldn't have happened without having the support and encouragement from the staff at The Club. They showed up, and continue to, every day- even and especially during my lowest moments and gave me opportunities that validated my potential and that of my peers. They were the role models I needed to show me the kind of leader and citizen I want to be, and more importantly the one I am becoming.
The Club gave me a shared history with members and staff, and while I am full of memories and experiences, that history is a code- a blueprint- to unlock what I am becoming, I've made positive relationships with mentors who showed me how to apply myself, met amazing leaders and professionals who have become my open source to opportunity, and I have found a place that allowed me to become part of its design.
I’m not the kid that I was. I’m not stuck. I’m not just going through the motions of life, with no control, living by default. Now, because of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Napa Valley, I've grown into a young man who actively applies himself. I maximize my full potential and using innovation to create the changes in the world I want to see. That is what this time has meant to me, and these are the lessons and tools that will stick with me upon my graduation this June.
Seven years ago, in the summer of 2016, my sisters and I moved from Florida to California. Moving to a new state, we felt out of place and we didn't know what our future life would be like. Our grandmother decided to enroll us in Boys & Girls Club so we could make new friends, get to know the area, and meet people we would be going to school with. Our family depended on the Club to help us adapt. Not only did the Boys & Girls club live up to expectations, but it exceeded them. My first day at Boys & Girls Club was impactful in such a positive way. When I first walked in, I was absolutely awed by all the activities to choose from and all the people I saw. I remember being excited to try playing on the foosball table, do art and watch a movie. We had a water balloon fight, played dodgeball, and got otter pops. For someone just making a huge move from another state, having a place to have fun and get my mind off so much change was important and it's something I'm still grateful for till this day.
Boys & Girls Club have fun activities for me to participate in on my first day there, but over time, I had the chance to do far more. This past summer, I was given the opportunity to go to Camp Mendocino as a part of the Boys & Girls Club. At first, I wasn't sure if I should go because I wanted to prepare for my first year of high school and I didn't know if I was going to have any fun, but in the end I realized what an experience it was. While I was at camp, I made numerous friends that I still talk to today, and I got the chance to participate in a variety of new activities. I got to go swimming in a lake, zipline, climb rock walls, make s'mores around a campfire, and so much more. The amount of spirit and pure happiness that everyone demonstrated at camp was literally indescribable. The counselors at camp had so much energy and they built my confidence up significantly over the time I was there. At the end of my week, I was able to win the music award and earn my green sea, an award for my leadership, growth, and open positivity towards other campers. The counselors even pointed out that when I first arrived at camp, I was a shy, timid girl that was scared to even talk to them, but at the end of the week, I knew everyone's name and was shouting out cheers during community time.
My most impactful day at Boys & Girls Club was when I watched everyone put together the winter showcase in fourth grade, because it was the first time I felt pride and included thanks to such a welcoming community. I loved watching the kindergarteners sing and watching my friends dance and perform skits. The staff made it hilarious when they went around singing "A Partridge in a Pear Tree" with a ton of props. Afterwards, we had a potluck with food brought from everyone's families. The best way for me to describe this experience is to say that it felt like being with family. Everyone talks about having "core memories" in their life, and if I had to choose a memory, the day of that winter showcase is at the forefront of my mind.
Boys & Girls Club has helped me build my leadership skills and has provided me with the advice and knowledge I need to progress in life. In elementary and middle school, I joined the smart girls program, which has taught me about women's history and health. In eighth grade, I became a part of the junior staff, a position that gave me more responsibility and taught me how to manage my time. I remember having staff that challenged me to read books that were higher than my lexile level and at one point, I was given lessons on resume building. All of these smaller aspects of my Boys & Girls Club experience have helped me grow and positively impacted my future. While the Boys & Girls Club has definitely had an upstanding impact on me, nothing I've accomplished today as a part of BGC could have been done without the support and assistance of its staff. One staff in particular has had an astounding impact on me, and he's a prime example of the importance of having encouraging and understanding adults in an adolescent's life. When covid hit a few years ago, a select amount of kids still attended Boys & Girls Club while doing online school, and I was one of them. At this time, we were all afraid of getting sick, or unsure how we were going to manage going to school over zoom. However, a staff named Jacob was in charge of managing the middle schoolers and he was empathetic of our situation. He made it his goal to take our unfortunate situation and turn it into something better. Everyday, he planned new activities for our group to try out. He took everyone's interests into consideration, and talked to us when he could so everyone felt included. Many others were unfortunately forced to stay cooped up at home, but we got to go outside everyday and play group games. He kept our creativity and social skills alive. He showed me what a good leader looks like and inspired me to be the same way.
As of now, I come to the Boys & Girls Club as a highschooler to give back. The Club and its staff has given me numerous opportunities and it's become a constant in my life I can depend on. I've met both of my best friends at Boys & Girls Club, and my memories are irreplaceable. Over the span of seven years, I've seen many staff come and go, but they all teach me something new, and leave a positive impact on the place. The club has improved my confidence, leadership skills, knowledge, but most importantly, my life.