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1/19/2010 - Article from the Greeley Tribune
Kids turn ugly into art on Day of Service
When the John Painter Unit of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Weld County got tagged by graffiti vandals earlier this winter, the kids there saw it as a chance to turn an unsightly negative into an artistic positive.
The annual National Day of Service was coming up, so the kids decided to do their own community art — hopefully as a way to staunch future graffiti. The kids, collaborating with adult staff at the club, decided to paint a mural on one of Greeley's hot spots for graffiti — the concrete wall on the north side of the intersection at U.S. 34 Bypass and 23rd Avenue in Greeley.
“They said, ‘What if we go out and paint over graffiti in the community?' ” said Greg Kimbrough, chief professional officer of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Weld County.
About 14 club members, ages 9 to 17, and eight staff members gathered at the intersection Monday morning to paint the mural. It's a multicolored landscape scene of Greeley topped by the lettering, “Be Great, From the Ground Up.”
The club annually does some kind of project for National Day of Service, which takes place during the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. Kimbrough said club members usually spend the day cleaning up grounds around the club's various sites, or units, in the county.
But this year, they went farther into the community by extending their creativity and ambition. They needed city approval for the mural, and Greeley was more than happy to give the project its blessing.
“This is a way for us to do something for the community and help beautify it with art,” Kimbrough said.
“Be Great” is the national motto for the Boys & Girls Club, while “Great From the Ground Up” is Greeley's slogan. The 13-foot-by-26-foot mural was designed in advance by the club members — led by Amber Droste, the club's art program coordinator — and then projected onto the wall Sunday night and traced in black outline. Each segment of the mural was number-coded to designate the color, one of 15, to be painted inside.
Angelica Caro, 12, shivered a bit as she painted Monday morning, feeling the chill of working on the shade side of the wall.
“It mainly helps the future kids not to be doing graffiti,” Angelica said of the mural. “Our club is helping make it a positive place for kids — that's our motto.”
The club got mural sponsorship from Anadarko Petroleum, which donated $1,000 toward paint, food and scaffolding rental, while Built-Rite kicked in some extra paint.
Kimbrough said the Boys & Girls Clubs would like to extend the mural work to other sites around the city. A large triangular-shaped portion of the U.S. 34 retaining wall, next to the new mural, might be the next blank “canvas” that gets an artistic design, he said.
Kimbrough noted that the kids learn teamwork on such projects, which also give them a chance to connect with parts of the community outside their own neighborhood.
“Why not present an opportunity to display their skills in art and an opportunity to share it with their families?” Kimbrough said.
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2 Rivers Thanksgiving and Family Night A Big Success
November 19th 2009
The Second Annual Two Rivers Thanksgiving Dinner was held Thursday night at Milliken Elementary School. The evening consisted
of volunteers cooking a buffet style dinner for club members and their families. Dinner included traditional Thanksgiving fare including: turkey,
stuffing, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, gravy, and various pies.
Here are some quick facts from the evening festivities:
There were 79 total members, guests, and volunteers.
We served 37 Boys & Girls Club members and 7 other youth (member’s much younger siblings or young children of volunteers)
We had 38 adult volunteers and guests.
There were 3 staff persons: Gabe Stoltman Site Coordinator, Crystal Padilla Program Specialist and Anthony Klotzbach Program Specialist.
And of course, our 2 Jr. Staff Elizabeth Velasquez and Daniela Flores.
We also had our Family Games Night and the youth got to play games with the staff and their families.
Click the following links to view pictures from the event:
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Up with People is down with northern Colorado
Those who were around in the 1970s and ’80s and can remember them to some degree might giggle a bit when they learn that Up With People will be performing in Greeley.
THAT Up With People? Those goofy, caffeinated, perpetually perky kids who waved their arms around and sang a theme song that sounded suspiciously like it belonged on a sitcom? The ones who performed at the Super Bowl halftime show before halftime shows featured real, big-name stars? The ones parodied by “The Simpsons” when the group “Hooray For Everyone” performed in the cartoon? Really?
Well, kinda. Yes, Up With People still performs, and that show will be Wednesday at the Union Colony Civic Center. And yes, they still sing that song and do that dance. But this is a rebooted Up With People, and like many rebooted programs, you’ll see some similarities to the old model, but not as many as you might think.
“We are still high energy, and we are many of those things that you remember,” said Katie Mears, field marketing and operations manager for Up With People. “But we are so much more now. I’m actually glad people remember those things because now they’ll see how much we’ve changed.”
Before the organization took a hiatus in 2000 with its finances in turmoil, Up With People was all about the performance. Now that performance is only a part of the mission. Up With People will be in Greeley for a week — they arrived Thursday.
The 75 students, from 22 countries, will put on a culture fair Friday morning at the Boys and Girls Club of Weld County and play games in the afternoon.
Then they will spend Saturday painting at the club, an event that’s open to the public. They will tour Greeley and the area and get to know northern Colorado before they head to Florida. It will be the organization’s only stop in Colorado.
On Tuesday they’ll be rehearsing before Wednesday’s show. They’ll also get to know their volunteer host families throughout the week.
In fact, the service is much more of a focus than the show, some students who haven’t sung and danced much at all will be in it. And given that Wednesday’s show is its first with the new batch of students, some will be hitting the stage for the first time in their lives. That includes Alexandra Rehn Applequist of Sweden. Alexandra’s mother performed in the original Up With People.
“I really love to sing,” she said and laughed, “but I don’t have that much of a singing voice.”
Up With People, based in Denver, tours with two groups of students every year, one for each semester. Many are college students, though some are taking a year off after graduating from high school while others are putting their careers on hold to perform. All are 18-29 years old. Their reasons for joining are more complex than they were during the original performance era.
“Some are just really passionate about community service,” Mears said, “so we had to reinvent ourselves. Students these days are much more about community service and education than just performing. That’s not what today’s youth wants. They want to leave their mark on the world.”
Angie Pfleiderer from Bangor, Maine, agreed, even if she does love to perform.
“If it was just about the performance,” Pfleiderer said, “it wouldn’t be nearly as interesting.”
The show shouldn’t disappoint. The students spend some time in Denver learning just the show before they go on tour, and there will be songs in Spanish and Chinese and songs that celebrate other cultures as well.
In fact, the music is still a draw for students, even if past shows were a little cheesy.
“I remember when I was 14, I saw them perform at a parade,” Pfleiderer said, “and I said to myself that I have to do that.”
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10/8/08
Boys & Girls Clubs Get Major League Treatment - Article from the Greeley Tribune
It's October, way into baseball's post-season, and the Colorado Rockies grounds crew is busy trimming the outfield grass, watering down the infield dirt and pounding out the gouges on the pitcher's mound. No, the Rockies didn't muster up another late-season rally. The crew gave the major-league treatment to one of the baseball fields of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Weld County.
As a gift, the Rockies sent the organization's head groundskeeper, Mark Razum, and his crew Wednesday to the Boys & Girls Clubs' Vinny Castilla Field, 2400 1st Ave. in Greeley, to give the field a much-needed overhaul. Vinny Castilla Field was dedicated in 1997 as part of the Colorado Rockies Youth Fields Program.
Razum said the crew decided to come now because of the baseball season was over and because fall is actually a good time to prepare a baseball diamond for the spring.
"When spring comes, you are ready to go," said Razum, who has been with the Rockies since 1994. "We are helping out a good cause, and I love working on baseball fields." He said the field got nearly the same treatment as Coors Field. "Whether it's a million-dollar player or a kid walking onto a field for the first time, you want it to be a safe and good field," he said.
The crew also gave the club's staff some green thumb tips to keep the field looking good. Dick Monfort, vice chairman of the Rockies, was on hand to watch the field's transformation. "We want to bring it back to life," Monfort said.
Greg Kimbrough, chief professional officer of the Boys & Girls, said baseball fits very well with the ideas behind the Boys & Girls Clubs. "It promotes the ideas of teamwork and individualism," he said. "We embed a lot of those philosophies in our programs." Kimbrough said the club makes an effort to provide sports opportunities to kids. "The majority of the youth that we serve are from single-parent homes," Kimbrough said. "They don't have access to youth sports because of time and cost."
Kimbrough said he hopes the field makeover will help the Boys & Girls Clubs' application to become an official Rookie League site. Rookie League is a Major League Baseball and Boys & Girls Clubs of America program for kids between the ages of 6 and 12. Rookie League is designed to be a bridge between tee ball and live-pitch baseball.
Up to 50 Rookie League grants will be awarded to Boys & Girls Clubs this year. The Greeley club will learn in December if it has been selected. If awarded, the program will start in summer 2009.
"This is the most exciting thing to happen to the club in awhile," Kimbrough said. "This solidifies what we are doing is good for young people."
How to help
To donate or find out more information on the Boys & Girls Clubs of Weld County call (970) 353-1278 or e-mail gkimbrough@bgcweld.org.
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10/4/08
Press Release
UBS TAKES STOCK IN KIDS
(Saturday, October 4th, 2008) UBS (United Bank of Switzerland) spent the morning repainting and restocking the Art Studio at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Weld County’s Pawl Unit on 1st Avenue. With more than 15 volunteers, UBS staff taped off doors, windows, and cabinets to lay down a coat of fresh paint for the art studio at the Club. The first new coat of paint since the Club opened in 1997. UBS also purchased various art supplies including: brushes, canvas, drawing & water color paper, and a drying rack for the Clubs new Young Masters Program which gives members an opportunity to learn about a specific artist, their influences, time period, and techniques.
This is UBS’ second community project for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Weld County, and as far as CPO Greg Kimbrough is concerned, he hopes it isn’t the last. “UBS has been a great supporter of the Clubs over the years, not only through community service projects, but financially as well. They are welcome in our Clubs anytime, we have plenty of projects.” UBS also supports the Clubs Annual Golf Tournament at Fox Acres helping to raise more than $30,000 for the programs and services provided by the Club.
The Young Masters Program spends 6-8 weeks on a single artist learning the history and techniques the artist utilized in their works. The members then practice the techniques by replicating a piece from the particular artist. Once they have mastered the techniques they begin working on their own pieces utilizing the style of that artist to convey their own message through art. Members then share their works with each other, getting feedback from the group and seeing how others view their work. Some of the top pieces will then be submitted to Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s Fine Arts Competition.
This is one of many programs the Clubs are now offering to help promote the 5 core areas of Boys & Girls Clubs: Character & Leadership, Health & Life Skills, Education & Career Development, the Arts, and Sports & Fitness.
If you would like to donate or learn more about the programs and services provided by the Boys & Girls Clubs of Weld County the please call 970.353.1278 or visit www.bgcweld.org
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9/27/08
Up with People concert planned for February - Article from the Greeley Tribune
It's more than a show. Up with People, the traveling performance and philanthropic group, will hit Greeley in February to kickoff its 2009 tour. It will not only bring its celebrated show but also will bring its troupe for a week of community service and awareness to town.
Up with People is working with community groups such as the Monfort Foundation and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Weld County for its Feb. 11 concert. The two-hour concert is a collection of about 20 songs performed by international students from 20 countries.
"We do it for two reasons, one to raise awareness and money for the beneficiaries and to thank the community for hosting us for the week," Christy Dickhans, a tour manager for the group. Charlie Monfort said the Monfort Foundation plans to be involved with the event and will work to secure additional sponsors for the show. Monfort, said talks started four months ago about bringing Up with People to Greeley with Thomas Spaulding, president of Up With People. Monfort has known Spaulding personally for about eight years. "I told him we would love to have him," said Monfort. "Greeley would be a great spot."
It was the concept of the show and the community service behind it that compelled Monfort to want to bring Up with People to Greeley. "I think the performance is neat," he said. "But the drawing card for me is the service and support. They do some good community service for a week and spread their message to people in town. I thought it would be neat for Greeley. The group itself is unique."
At each stop, Up with People designates one nonprofit group as the beneficiary of the show and for its Greeley show, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Weld County has been selected. During the week of its stay, Up with People's troupe plan to work the Boys & Girls Club in cleanup projects, membership drives and other events. Members also plan to schedule events with The Weld Food Bank and Greeley-Evans School District 6. More details will be released as the concert date approaches.
Greg Kimbrough, head of the Boys & Girls Club, said the mission of Up with People -- learning to give back to the community -- is one that fits well with his organization. "Its one of the biggest lessons we are trying to teach our kids," Kimbrough said. More than the donated money, what the Boys & Girls Clubs seeks to benefit most from Up with People is exposure, Kimbrough said. "That is the whole premise," he said. "Anyone can give us money, but what I'm excited about is Up with People come with 100 kids that are part of the group and come in weeks ahead of time and really mobilize into the community."
Since its creation in 1965, Up with People, based in Denver, has traveled to 3,600 communities in 38 countries and performed at the Super Bowl and the Rose Bowl Parade. After Greeley, the show is headed to the East Coast then to Taiwan and Mexico. The next step for Up with People is securing more local sponsorships and finding host families for the performers, Dickhans said.
Representatives will be in Greeley starting in December to prepare for the week, and in January, will start promoting the show. "Greeley is the perfect location," Ben Beesley, a manager with Up with People. "When we are here, we are the focal point."
Host families
For its Feb. 11 show, Up with People is looking for host families for its cast. For more information, contact Christy Dickhans at 303-460-7100, extension 105.
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3/20/08
Board president hopes new leader will strengthen club - Article from Greeley Tribune
Greg Kimbrough is still getting used to his new office. He doesn't have his office number memorized and is still learning the phone system.
Kimbrough is the new executive director of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Weld County. And while he may be new to the office, he is by no means a stranger to the organization. Kimbrough is joining the organization as it comes off a rocky year with a number of changes of leadership. But with his tenure, he hopes he can bring stability to the club and help it expand to reach more kids.
In 2002, Kimbrough joined the program staff of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Collier County, in southern Florida. Initially, he joined, thinking it was going to be a temporarily gig. "When I came on board, I taught several Club programs," Kimbrough said. "I had just moved to Naples and was looking to start my own business." But after joining the organization, he got hooked and worked his way up through the ranks.
Within four years, he was promoted to take over fundraising as director of development. After deciding he wanted to lead a chapter of the club, Kimbrough began looking for open executive director positions, specifically in Colorado. "In November, we saw a posting for Weld County," he said. "I read a bit about it. My wife and I discussed if we were going to move anywhere, we would move to Colorado."
Kimbrough interviewed over the phone and talked with directors, but it wasn't until his visit to the branch that he got a clear picture of what he was getting into. "It was inspiring," he said, of his first impression of the Weld chapter. "What I saw was a community that supported the efforts of the club. When you have a community that supports the Clubs efforts, that means they are already invested in the clubs." He said he saw the same in the staff at the club.
"I saw a group of staff that really wanted more," he said. "They desired for the organization to be more impactful in the community." It was from those first impressions that Kimbrough decided to take the job. "That is all I really needed to know," he said.
To compare, the club Kimbrough came from had an annual budget of about $4 million and served 850 kids daily while the Weld branch has an annual budget of about $900,000 and serves about 300 daily.
Kimbrough's presence at the Weld club is a welcoming one, said Roger Knoph, president of the clubs' board. During the past year, the club has seen multiple changes in leadership. He said the changes in directors were strenuous and stressful for the staff. Both Kimbrough and Knoph refused to go into the details about the leadership changes at the club or discuss Kimbrough's compensation.
"We are in a great situation today," Knoph said. "He is a great addition to the club. We hope to have our feet planted solidly." Kimbrough said his goal is to reach kids more and make the club vital to the community.
"The youth the club serves tend not to have the structure in their life to make the best decisions.," he said. "My goal is to have kids coming four, five days a week."
GREG KIMBROUGH
Greg Kimbrough, new executive director of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Weld County
Age: 33
Family: Jona, wife of eight years, and twin 16-month-old boys
Education: Business administration degree from the College of Charleston |
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