It has been truly an eventful year for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Iowa. In the past 18 months, we have opened two new Club sites in Des Moines through the Club Pathways campaign. The Gregory & Suzie Glazer Burt Club at Drake University and the E.T. Meredith Jr. Club at East High school have allowed us to not only serve more young people, but to serve them more strategically throughout their entire educational journey. Our teen membership grew this year by 81%, and the number of children served each day hit nearly 800.
In the midst of this fantastic growth came the great disrupter of COVID-19. After a three-month closure following the move to virtual learning by the Des Moines Public Schools, our seven clubs reopened for all day club service. In the fall, as kids and families grappled with remote schooling, Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Iowa continued serving our young people in person, all day long at our club sites with the necessary safety measures in place. While club programming has dramatically changed to accommodate virtual school lessons, our goal has remained the same: to keep our members learning at or above their grade-level, on track for high school graduation, and with a plan for the future. In no other time in our history have our services been so critical. It is only because of the generous, unwavering support of this community that we have been able to continue doing whatever it takes to best serve our club kids and teens.
2021 will undoubtedly be another eventful year full of change and growth. I am excited to introduce Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Iowa’s new chief executive officer, Tony Timm. Tony started in his role in February and brings a wealth of nonprofit experience and expertise to our organization. I am confident that Tony will continue to position our organization as the leading advocate for the youth of Central Iowa and I look forward to future opportunities for him to get to know our incredible group of community donors, partners, and stakeholders.
Thank you for your continued commitment to the kids in our community who need us most, we couldn’t do what we do without you.
David Chapman
2021 Board Chairman