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Club Member has a Heart for Service
Ever know anyone that had a servant's heart? Well, meet Haleigh T., a young lady that joined the Jeffersonville Club this summer. She wasn't interested in just playing games so she pulled up her sleeves and helped serve others in any way possible. Haleigh helped run tournaments, clean and straighten the Club, as well as read to the younger Club members. Haleigh is a straight A student and enjoys art. She is a very creative young lady and has a passion for helping people and understands the value of hard work.
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Youth Bring Energy to Jeffersonville
Lively teen volunteers from the Nazarene Youth Conference visited the Jeffersonville Club earlier this month to play games and spend one-on-one time with the kids. Members enjoyed the individual attention and youthful energy, as well as the dodgeball competition brought by these volunteers.
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Making a Racket with Jeffersonville Club
The Jeffersonville Housing Authority sponsored their annual 2 week tennis camp for members where they were taught the basic rules and skills for tennis. Members played games and did activities to learn techniques. At the end of the camp, kids celebrated their new skills with a pizza party where each member received a t-shirt and tennis racket.
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ITPC/World No Tobacco Day
Guest speaker Ellie Schweizer from Louisville Heath and Wellness Department celebrated ITPC/World No Tobacco Day on May 31st with Jeffersonville Club members. Kids participated in a poster contest to see who could create the best ‘Say “No” to Tobacco' posters.
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Club Classic Champions!
The Ed Endres 13-and-under Club Classic ended on May 3rd with the championship game between Jeffersonville Boys & Girls Club and Parkland Boys & Girls Clubs. Congratulations to the Jeffersonville team and Coach Jamico on taking home the 2011 title. Special thanks to the referees, clock keepers, and stat takers for all their help during the season.
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Youth of the Year
Jeffersonville Club's Katie G. was selected to attend the 2011 Indiana Youth of the Year competition in Indianapolis. Her experiences and contributions to the club include serving meals and helping with homework as well as participating in the step team and serving as President of the Keystone Teen Leadership group. Congratulations Katie on your hard work!
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On Saturday April 30 Anthem held a fitness day at the Jeffersonville Boys and Girls Club. Club members participated in different physical activity stations to promote healthy living. Click the smilebox below to view photos!
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During Spring Break, the Jeffersonville Keystone Club members volunteered at the Center for Lay Ministries. They sorted food that will be handed out to people in need in the Jeffersonville community. The Keystone Club members really enjoyed the opportunity to reach out and help others. Giving back to the community is what Keystone Club is all about.
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Jeffersonville Member Highlight
Have you met the new chef at the Jeffersonville Club? Lauren Allen is a culinary arts student at Sullivan University and has a passion for food that is unexplainable. She understands the importance of nutrition in children's diets and has a desire to teach them how to cook. Lauren is overjoyed to work in the newly renovated kitchen with the latest kitchen equipment.
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1st Annual Family Literacy & Fun Night
 On Thursday, Jan. 27, the Jeffersonville Club hosted their 1st Annual Family Literacy & Fun Night from 5 pm to 7 pm. It was a fun filled night with dinner, games, door prizes and lots of fun while reading with family and friends. Members of the Univ. of Louisville football t eam were on hand to serve as special guest readers!
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 Around 15 of our Club kids have been practicing their discipline, dedication and emotion control by participating in our Tae Kwon Do program. Lee's Tae Kwon Do, of Jeffersonville, has been coming to the Club 2 days a week to work with our kids. At the end of the program they were each tested to determine if they were an orange or yellow belt. The Tae Kwon Do program will be starting back up in January for existing and new members.
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Club Staff Spotlight: Jamico Morris
 Get to know new Club staff member Jamico Morris as Ritchie Logsdon, BGCK staff member, talks about their history as friends and co-workers.
Just the other day Jamico said, "It's crazy to think that we used to be those little kids running around the Club and getting into everything." I agreed and we both had a huge laugh about it. I told Jamico, "It’s funny how times have changed and we both now have the opportunity to help children who face many of the same obstacles we faced as youth.”
Back in the day, the Mackin Boys and Girls Club and the East End Boys & Girls Club were fierce rivals. We (the Mackin Club) tried to beat them (the East End Club) at anything and everything. No matter how hard we tried we were simply no match for them in basketball. They would blow us out and talk trash the whole time they played. Mr. Jamico was, and still is, one of the greatest trash talkers of all time. He still reminds me weekly of how bad they used to beat us. We laugh about it and just smile. At the same time, I remind him of how the Mackin softball team dominated and were UNDEFEATED for 2 years. That usually keeps him quiet.
As he grew up Jamico found himself doing a variety of different jobs but was not happy. Jamico worked for the Clubs previously, but says the death of his father, Gary Ware, made it difficult to stay. We have stayed in touch over the years and have been close friends since we were little trouble making Club members. His experience is similar to mine in the fact that something about the Clubs kept us coming back.
A few years ago, I received a call from Jamico and he informed me that he was going to attend Brown Mackie College and would like to stop by every now and then to help out at the Club. In June 2009, Jamico began working at the Jeffersonville Club as a work study student, while he pursued his degree in Criminal Justice. He demonstrated a strong work ethic and a willingness to learn everything he could about the Club. He attended several youth development trainings and in October 2010, Jamico was hired as a Program Director. He does an excellent job with our sports, fitness and recreation department, but also assists in Power Hour, Torch/ Keystone Clubs and tracking programs. He is self-motivated and has a positive outlook at all times. He is always eager to learn new things and aspires to manage his own Club someday. It's a pleasure to work with such a great employee and wonderful friend. We are lucky to have him, even if he did attend East End Boys and Girls Club!
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 Let's hear from Ritchie Logsdon, Unit Director at Jeffersonville Club, of why he chose Ana for the Club Kid Spotlight:
I have had the pleasure of working with a lot of great kids over the years. I have to admit that Ana is one of my favorites of all time. She has such a contagious smile that makes your day better immediately. I can be having the worst day and talking to or seeing Ana makes me feel better. She's a shining example of why we do what we do.
Ana is 10 years old and attends Spring Hill Elementary School. She is in the 4th grade and excels in all her studies. She attends the Club each day right after school with her younger brothers and sisters. She always makes sure that her brothers and sisters are doing their homework before she gets started herself. Before she gets started she makes sure to give me one of those hugs that make my day. She also likes attending Spring Hill basketball games with me, giving us a reason to eat junk food!
Ana spends a lot of her time in the game room but likes computers. She participates in Taekwondo, Power Hour and any other program she can get in to. Ana and her family truely appreciate the fact that we serve hot meals at our club each day. Ana's mom stated "this is the best place for my kids to be."
Kids like Ana remind me of why I get up and do this everyday.
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 Paris Bryant graduated from Jeffersonville High School in 1988, where he was an All-State basketball player. After high school, Paris played college basketball at the University of Wyoming. Even though he was away from home, he continued to keep track of young people he thought he could help through the game of basketball. When he graduated from the University of Wyoming in 1993 he embarked on a pro basketball career that took him all over the world. Paris played basketball in Austria, Spain, Italy, Greece, Germany and Portugal. With the option of living anywhere he choose to live in his hometown of Jeffersonville, Indiana. When asked why Paris stated, "I have dual citizenship, but I want to be here and make a difference in young men's lives through the game of basketball."
Paris Bryant volunteers at Jeffersonville Boys & Girls Club at least twice a week when school is in session and everyday during the summer. He has individual workouts with up and coming basketball players from all over and doesn't charge them a cent.
"Everything that "P" does is heartfelt and real. He gives it to them straight and the kids respect him for it. The kids can look right in their own backyard and see a man that has made his way in the world and worked for everything he has." stated Ritchie Logdsdon, Unit Director at Jeffersonville Boys & Girls Club. What a shining example of how to do it the right way! When asked why he continues to volunteer Paris remarks, "because they need it." Simply put and VERY TRUE!
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Jeffersonville Club Kids Learn Tae Kwon Do
Jeffersonville Club kids enjoy learning Tae Kwon Do from Master Dale Stum. Mr. Stum is a 5th degree black belt master from Lee's Tae Kwon Do in Jeffersonville, Indiana. After 16 intense yet fun sessions the kids participated in a belt ceremony. Click below to view pictures of the belt ceremony!
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What Do Kickball And Sewing Have In Common?
Of course JCPenney volunteers! On Thursday, September 23rd JCPenney volunteers will join Jeffersonville club kids in a game of kickball. The fun doesn't end with kickball! JCPenney volunteers will also teach club kids sewing techniques and then help them create a craft project. We greatly appreciate JCPenney volunteers!
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Freedom School Program At Jeffersonville Club
BGCK partnered with the Indiana Avenue Freedom School to host the Freedom School Summer program at the Jeffersonville Club. Some of our kids who are most in danger of falling behind in school are participating in the program.
The purpose of the Indiana Avenue Freedom Summer Program is to expose youth to literacy in ways that are attractive and that capture their imagination. Youth develop higher levels of self-esteem, create and complete social action projects, build conflict resolution skills and cultivate critical thinking skills. Freedom School is truly a classroom without walls. It allows our youth to have a completely different school experience in the summer than they get during the year.
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Saint X (Louisville, KY) Freshman Baseball Team Visits Jeffersonville Club
The Saint Xavier High School freshman baseball teamcame all the way from across the Ohio River in Louisville, Ky. to visit the Jeffersonville Club on May 10th for some community service hours.
While there, the players blended right in to the fun-loving, family atmospheres, participating in everything ranging from playing board games and basketball with the club members, to serving dinner and cleaning up afterward.
The Jeff Club, along with the rest of the Boys and Girls Club of Kentuckiana, want to extend a very special thank you to a great team and even better bunch of young men for helping out in the community, even if it is not their own! Way to go guys! Go Tigers!!
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Fun & Fit Day Visits Jeffersonville Club April 24th
Over thirty Anthem associates spent part of their day April 24 at a Fun & Fit Day. Forty kids experienced seven different activity stations from jumping rope to practicing long jumping and vertical leaps. At each station, the children received a "fitness passport stamp" as a mini-reward for completing an activity station.
The kids learned about healthy living, nutrition and physical activity, all while having tons of fun! Kids from the Jeffersonville, Ed Endres and Shawnee Clubs were able to participate and walked away with several prizes as well as ideas of how to build healthy choices into their daily lives. Deb Moessner, President of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kentucky, led her staff in enthusiastically engaging the kids and demonstrating just how fun being fit can be!
For more pictures of how involved our staff and volunteers were with the kids, click here for a photo slideshow.
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Boys & Girls Clubs of Kentuckiana's 2010 Youth of the Year is Amber Calhoun . The Ed Endres, Jeffersonville and Shawnee Clubs each selected an individual as their Youth of the Year with Amber being selected as the organization's overall winner. Judging is based on service to Club, community and family; academic performance; moral character; life goals; as well as poise and public speaking ability. Amber represented BGCK at the Indiana State Youth of the Year Competition April 15-16.
Amber has been an active member of the Jeffersonville Boys & Girls Club since the summer of 2007. She is a talented young lady who enjoys singing, piano, cello, and violin. After graduating from Manual High School, Amber looks forward to pursuing a college degree in the Performing Arts. Join BGCK as we congratulate Amber on this achievement!
1423 Pennsylvania Avenue
Jeffersonville, IN 47130
Phone 812.218.9581
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