Boys Girls Clubs

For kids at the main branch of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Laguna Beach, the world outside can be found inside their spacious art room. At 3 p.m. last Wednesday, club Art Director Emily Murray walked to the room's intercom, which is near a window overlooking the play yard, and announced that global art was about to begin. An array of kids scrambled into the art room, which is filled with long work tables and even has its own kiln. In the global art class, the kids create a different craft from around the world each week; Murray also teaches a bit about each ethnic tradition.

The accomplishments of more than 120 local young artists from the Boys & Girls Clubs of Laguna Beach Main and TLC Branches were displayed in a gallery-style juried art exhibition last month. Showing off their aesthetic aptitudes and creative imaginations, club members who participated in the clubs? fine art program gave tours to their parents, and beamed with pride as their artwork encompassed the walls of the main branch?s community room. The art was displayed in sections by age groups of 9 and younger, 10 to 12, 13 to 15, and 16 to 18. Mediums included monochromatic drawing, multicolored drawing, pastel, watercolor, acrylic, printmaking, mixed media, collage, sculpture and group projects.

Teens from the Boys & Girls Clubs of Laguna Beach?s Keystone Club spent the weekend at a national Keystone conference in Anaheim, where they learned about leadership and inspiration. ?I learned how to motivate myself and others,? said local club president Michael Necula, 16. Kelsey Laroche, 15, the club?s treasurer, said she learned what it takes to be a leader. ?We need to take others? thoughts into consideration and work as a team,? she said. The Keystone Club is a teen leadership program that concentrates on community service, fundraisers and developing leadership skills, said club Resource Manager Gretchen Long.

Money Matters, a national program founded by Charles Schwab that educates youth ages 11 to 17 about finances, was recently adopted by the Boys & Girls Clubs of Orange County. The course was funded by Joe Ziomek, a Laguna Beach resident and former Boys Club member of 15 years who won “Boy of the Year” in 1958. In honor of his 50th anniversary of winning the award, Ziomek donated $50,000 to the BGC and asked that it be directed toward a program like Money Matters. “I want to see [the program]

Hitching his thumbs around a wide belt buckle, Bruce Forman smiled widely at about 30 youngsters sprawled on the floor of the Boys & Girls Club's gymnasium on a warm Tuesday afternoon. Forman and his Western jazz band, Cow Bop, appeared at the club as part of its cowboy theme day. Children in flannel shirts and bandanas danced and giggled through the performance. "Most kids' relationship with music comes out of electronic boxes," Forman said. Show by show, class by class, he hopes to change that.

Kids come together, so they can take it on the road. This summer the 2008 Element Youth Movement Co-op Tour features “Scratched,” the Laguna Beach Boys & Girls Club’s art show of “repurposed” art, along with performances by the Collective Sound Summer Music Academy. Last Tuesday, the Boys & Girls Club’s main branch hosted the first stop on the four-date tour, displaying more than 300 CDs hand painted by children from five individual clubs located across California.

Register for hoops at Boys & Girls Club Registration for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Laguna Beach Boys’ Basketball League (grades K through 9) runs through Sept. 28. Register in person at the Boys & Girls Clubs’ main branch at 1085 Laguna Canyon Road. For more information, please call the Boys & Girls Clubs Main Branch at (949) 494-2535. Fall tennis classes and workouts underway All Court Tennis will offer fall classes and workouts beginning Sept.

The Boys & Girls Club of Laguna Beach has earned the Boys & Girls Clubs of America's Gold MAC Award in the publications category. The award, given to the club that has developed the most creative and compelling publications, was recently presented at BGCA's 99th annual national conference in San Diego. The club also received honors for its advertising efforts and overall marketing strategy. Winners were chosen from more than 3,000 Boys & Girls Clubs across the country.

After 33 years of service, Bali Thorn has retired from the Boys & Girls Club of Laguna Beach. Thorn, a Laguna Beach resident, began working with the Boys & Girls Club in 1979 as a secretary. Over time, she had other positions and finished her tenure as director of finance. "I'm known for my good budgeting," Thorn said. Pamela Estes, executive director of the club, said an email, "Since I've been involved with the club, Bali has been responsible in a large part for putting together a projected budget each year.

Twenty-eight teens from the Boys & Girls Club of Laguna Beach got a taste of a pilot's life Tuesday. They flew in several Cessna and other small airplanes out of the Lyon Air Museum next to John Wayne Airport as part of the club's keystone leadership program. "The kids have been really excited," said Carla Contreras, teen program director. "Some of them have never been to a museum like this before. " The group, a mix of sixth- to 11th-graders, went through a series of steps before their big moment in the air, with several of them getting a chance to act as co-pilots and steer the plane.

Resources in Motion (RIM), a mobile family resource center, will now come to the Boys & Girls Club on the fourth Friday of each month, according to a news release from the club. RIM is operated by the Raise Foundation and offers programs and services that deal with family advocacy, domestic violence prevention, nutrition, diabetes education and treatment, and obesity, according to the release. RIM first arrived in Laguna on Feb. 27, when a representative from Kaiser Permanente helped families with questions about health insurance and enrollment.

COSTA MESA - Staying grounded wasn't an option Thursday for the Boys & Girls Club of Laguna Beach. Instead, 14 kids opted to jump into foam pits and play dodgeball mid-air while bouncing on trampolines at Sky High Sports in Costa Mesa. The day was just one of many excursions for members of the Adventure Club, an eight-week camp aimed at "tweens" that gets them to try new things, see new places and have fun at the same time. "We can literally bounce off the walls," Ellie Sharf, 15, said about Sky High after exiting a trampoline.

LBHS drama applauded Laguna Beach High School's musical theater was recognized during the 41st annual Childress Music and Arts Commendation for Youth awards (MACY) on May 22. LBHS submitted "You're a Good Man Charlie Brown" and "Footloose. " Both shows won a combined 24 awards, including the Le Theatre Libre award, which honors overall excellence. Nearly 30 high schools from Southern California competed. Boys & Girls Club celebrate 'Unity' The Boys & Girls Club of Laguna Beach participated with other clubs in Orange County during Unity Day at the Garden Grove club.

When festivities for the 2010 Major League Baseball All-Star Game in Anaheim get underway this weekend, Laguna Beach Little League and the Boys & Girls Club of Laguna Beach will be a part of the fanfare. On Sunday, several members from Laguna Beach Little League, including President Jennifer Sweet, will be on hand for a dedication honoring the late Jack Norworth. The former Laguna Beach resident, who died in 1959, penned the America's Pastime classic, "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" in 1908.

The Boys & Girls Club set a goal of $150,000 for its 10th annual Art of Giving Gala at the Montage Resort & Spa and more than succeeded. “We exceeded our goal by $25,000,” said Michelle Ray , club development director. “More people attended and more became Shining Stars with $250 donations that go directly to help kids participate in programs.” The event included cocktails for folks perusing the silent auction items in a room off the ballroom courtyard or out on the lawn under a late day sun, dinner, a live auction emceed by Bree Burgess Rosen , entertainment by club members, presentation of the Teen Youth of the Year, Kelsey Laroche , and dancing to the music of Tunes of Hollywood Nights.

Ocean and wildlife educators are making a splash at the Boys & Girls Club of Laguna Beach. Club members recently enjoyed a hands-on lesson about the ocean’s creatures in a “visiting classroom” presentation by the Ocean Institute of Dana Point, sponsored by its “Adopt-a-Class” program and the Hearts of Montage. Club pre-schoolers took a field trip to the institute, where they explored the depths of the sea. After story time in the classroom with Eric Carle’s “A House for Hermit Crab,” the children got to observe and touch creatures in a mobile aquarium and compare and contrast them with those illustrated in the book.