Welcome to our Summer 2022 edition of IN TOUCH - our periodic report of service impact. This newsletter highlights the incredible work being done across Boys & Girls Clubs of Oakland as we continue our mission to develop our community's youth into positive contributors to society.
President's Message
Team BGCO is honored to keep in touch periodically to apprise you, our stakeholders, of the return that our dedicated professional staff and volunteers generate on your investments after school and year-round where kids need us most.
Our student-members are often the third or fourth generation family member to engage as BGCO service recipients which speaks volumes as to the trust that our community has for our organization... trust that we never take for granted, and that we endeavor continuously to prove ourselves worthy of.
BGCO's work and progress is enabled by a great team of board volunteers that oversees the health and direction of our mission giving selflessly of their time, talent, and treasure to help advance our mission. In return, it's BGCO's honor to continuously improve and to generate outstanding positive youth development results.
Introducing Latayza, BGCO's 2022 Youth of the Year
Latayza has been a student-member of The Club for 10 years. Having enrolled in 2012, she is now preparing to enter her senior year of high school. Coming of age in West Oakland, Latayza recalls her neighborhood as one "that can be mentally and physically draining," but upon joining The Club and "seeing kids being kids, it felt better to know that there was more to life."
"Regardless of what was going on outside, we were inside having the time of our lives. I always felt heard and noticed at this Club; the fact that I knew I was heard gave me confidence to have an opinion."
That boost in confidence has given Latayza awareness in the importance of representation, community service, and giving back, something she aims to do by continuing to volunteer at The Club. "If I can teach a young girl that her skin is beautiful, and how to deal with microaggressive comments and have confidence regardless of what someone else thinks, that'll make that small or big impression I'd be happy. I think it's important to give back. I feel like being Youth of the Year is the start of giving back."
BGCO Board's Talent Pool Deepens
Introducing BGCO's four newest governing Board Members:
Stephanie Gaywood
Director, Community Engagement and Community Fund, Oakland Athletics
Melody Phipps
Managing Director, Deloitte LLP
Monica Tellado
Chief Financial Officer
The Changing of the Guard
The Clorox Company's Michael Ott elected Chair of BGCO Board with Michael Conn (at left), Immediate Past Chair of Boys & Girls Clubs of Oakland.
Community Partnership
GREAT FUTURES START HERE. Our City of Oakland's Chief of Police, LeRonne Armstrong (at left), a BGCO alumnus, personifies our mission—to develop our community's youth into positive contributors to society—a fact that made our BGCO President Cal Stanley's day when they met this past December, 2021!
Longtime BGCO friend, Captain Paul Figueroa (at right) now retired, brokered the coffee, in part to ensure a warm hand-off and seamless continuity of collaboration between our two like-minded community service organizations.
Thank you for your continued support of Boys & Girls Clubs of Oakland. Together, we're building great futures for Oakland's youth, one child at a time.
Support Our Mission
Help us continue providing life-changing programs and opportunities for Oakland's youth. Your support makes all the difference!