Peter Crawford and 2011 Youth of the Year Finalists

Charles Schwab is the presenting sponsor of our Fourth Annual Youth of the Year Luncheon on February 7th at the Westin St. Francis Hotel.

We recently spoke with Peter Crawford, Senior Vice President – Asset Management Client Solutions at Charles Schwab and BGCSF Board Member, to learn more about his involvement with the Youth of the Year program and why it’s been so memorable.

BGCSF: Why is Boys & Girls Clubs of San Francisco’s Youth of the Year program an important investment for Charles Schwab?  

Peter: Investing in the future of our youth and communities is important to Schwab.  Supporting programs like Youth of the Year ensures we provide Club members resources and opportunities in a safe environment.  It is an honor and privilege for Schwab to recognize the accomplishments of these outstanding individuals, and support Boys & Girls Clubs of San Francisco’s efforts in making a profound difference in their lives.  Through our partnership, particularly with our teen financial literacy program, Money Matters Make It Count, we hope to inspire Schwab employees, and the community, to get involved in supporting youth.

BGCSF:  As a former Youth of the Year Judge, what qualities does the judging panel look for in the Citywide Youth of the Year winner?  

Peter: I can tell you that it is very hard to choose a winner.  In my experience, all the candidates were remarkable individuals.  I would buy stock in any of them!

In trying to select the “best of the best,” I was focused on three things.  First, we look for someone who has the “total package;” they’re succeeding academically, they’re succeeding in other areas (sports, art, etc.), they are active in giving back to their community, and they’ve demonstrated the leadership needed for future success.  Second, we look for someone who has overcome obstacles to achieve this level of success.  And third, we want someone who has presence and energy, someone who will represent the Club well, hopefully all the way to the national competition in Washington, DC.

Peter Crawford adressing Youth of the Year Luncheon attendees

BGCSF: What has been the most memorable part of your involvement with the Youth of the Year program?  

Peter: It was my first experience with Youth of the Year.  I remember exactly where I was when I first started reading the applications.  I was not yet a member of the Board, and I did not know a lot about the organization.  But I was in a car when I starting reading the stories.  I read about some remarkable kids, and I read about what a difference Boys & Girls Clubs of San Francisco made in their lives.  That is when I decided I wanted to get more involved in the organization.  And it’s why I agreed to co-chair the lunch for the past two years.  And that itself has been very rewarding!

Youth of the Year Program Overview

Youth of the Year celebrates the remarkable lives of Boys & Girls Clubs of San Francisco members who have distinguished themselves by rising above challenging circumstances.  Each of our nine Clubhouses and Camp Mendocino chose a teen representative as their nominee for Youth of the Year based on their Club involvement, service to their community, commitment to education and modeling of positive behaviors for younger Club members.

After a four-month leadership development program, a panel of judges will evaluate each nominee on their written and speaking skills, and conduct in-person interviews with each candidate.  At the luncheon attendees will hear all the youth’s inspiring stories, but only one will be named the 2012 Charles Schwab Youth of the Year.

Kristi and C2C Teens Celebrating Success

On December 9, 10, and 11 the Camp to College (C2C) program spent the weekend at Camp Mendocino. The teens prepared their meals, worked with mentors to further their future goals, and even gave back to Camp! The teens were paired with mentors for the entire weekend, all of whom had connections to Boys & Girls Clubs of San Francisco.

 On Saturday morning, all the teens participated in a team-building exercise on the low ropes course with Kristi Bohlen. They worked together to overcome challenges and solve problems. Every teen learned how to ask the group for help and provided support to one another. What a fantastic way to start the day!

After lunch the group met with their mentors one-on-one and worked on current challenges and future goal setting. Every teen had different areas they focused on – from getting help with Spanish, to figuring out what the best college choice was. In the end, teens left with a sense of accomplishment and clearer direction in life.

Teens giving back to Camp by volunteering

In addition to the one-on-one mentorship activity, teens volunteered two hours of community service to Camp. They helped to install educational nature signs that will help teach children about the surrounding wildlife and ecosystem of Camp. The teens worked tirelessly giving back and did a great job!

All in all, the weekend was a great success! The teens showed great maturity and dedication to their futures. And we couldn’t have done it without all the volunteers! Thank you to the following mentors and adults for their time during the Camp to College Retreat: Rob & Heather Connolly, Harold Love, Len Smolburd, Natasha Alani, Calen Perkins, Lisa Rosete, Rebecca Randall, Wayne Bohlen, and Kristi Bohlen.

Chevrolet, in partnership with The Scotts Company LLC, Ripken Baseball, Ripken Design, Rawlings Sporting Goods, MLB Advanced Media and Major League Baseball, awarded 100 community youth baseball prizes across the country through the 2011 Chevrolet ‘Diamonds and Dreams’ program. These 100 prizes included 20 field makeovers, 20 instructional clinics and 60 equipment prizes.

Out of our nine Clubhouses, the Willie Mays Club is our only facility with a baseball field. Built in partnership with the City of San Francisco, MLB and the San Francisco Giants, the field serves as the home of the “Junior Giants” baseball team and acts as a multipurpose field for all nine Boys & Girls Clubs. In addition to outdoor recreation and sporting events, the field also provides a space for older Club members to learn skills in maintenance and grounds keeping, as they seek to keep the diamond in top shape.

Scotts Employees Volunteering to Refurbish WM Baseball Field!

Just before Thanksgiving, Scotts employees lent a hand in the refurbishment working on projects that included: measuring the bases and mound to meet regulation, reducing lips and re-edging the infield grass, leveling the infield, and adding Scotts grass seed and fertilizer to the infield and outfield, backstop improvements and a thorough maintenance plan recommendation.

“The Willie Mays Clubhouse is a beacon of hope in the Hunters Point community that gives youth an opportunity to learn, grow and succeed,” said Rob Connolly, BGCSF President.  “We are so grateful to have been chosen as the beneficiary of the ‘Diamond and Dreams’ field makeover as we are always looking at ways to improve and provide long-term sustainability to our Clubhouses.”

Thanks again Chevrolet, Scotts and all the other partners, and especially to Eric Haskell!  The field looks great!

Camp to College Program

Camp Mendocino has an incredible, one-of-a-kind teen focused program called Leaders in Training – in short, the LIT program.  This program offers a variety of teen leadership activities designed to develop and enhance skills like communication, conflict management, time management and basic youth development. Not only does Camp provide teens with 20 days packed with fun activities, including the ropes course, overnight hikes, swimming, archery, boating, and talent shows, but it also exposes them to speciality teen programming such as Career Launch and Money Matters.  Participants in the program also work hard throughout the summer assisting cabin counsellors and assistant activity specialists, managing the Camp canteen (Camp’s onsite store) and working in the dining hall.

As a way to stay in touch and keep the LITs connected to the programs and services offered at BGCSF and Camp, we developed The Camp to College Program – a year-round program which links our LIT program to college prep and job-readiness services such as job-exposure events, scholarship resources, high school transition plans and fun professional development activities.  We also track and work to improve our teen’s GPA to ensure on-time graduation and grade progression.  Most importantly, the Camp to College program creates a support network of peers and staff that help teens prepare for their futures!

Some cool highlights over the last few months included a ziplining excursion over the Embarcadero, transcript evaluations, college research and community building.  Next up, teens will meet with the Citywide Director of Education at BGCSF to learn more about the various scholarship opportunities available through BGCSF.  We will also be taking the teens back to Camp in December for a retreat to work on goal-mapping with different mentors.  What a great couple of months!

Big thanks to all the volunteers from the San Francisco Security Traders Association for helping plan the event and spending time with our kids during Halloween – they had a blast!

UA Employees at Half Moon Bay Golf Links

On October 5, 2011 United Airlines hosted over 250 guests from
around the country for a day of camaraderie, competition, and world-class
golfing at the 2^ndAnnualUnited Airlines Golf Invitational – benefiting both Boys & Girls Clubs of San Francisco and the Giants Community Fund. Players enjoyed a challenging tournament at the Half Moon Bay Golf Links, followed by a sit-down dinner and live auction. With great appreciation, proceeds raised during the event will go towards BGCSF’s programs, including health & life skills, sports, arts, character development and workforce preparedness.

United Airlines has been a long-time partner of Boys & Girls Clubs of San Francisco and we are grateful for all they do for us.  Whether it’s providing financial support, travel arrangements for our youth, or teen exposure opportunities in the aviation industry with behind the scene tours, our members are always top of mind!  Special thanks to Jim
Keenan, Senior Vice President for United Airlines Technical Operations and
BGCSF Board Member, for partnering with BGCSF on this event and supporting our
community’s youth.  Together, we are helping San Francisco’s young people
build great futures – for themselves and for the city.  With over 8,400
employees in the Bay Area, United Airlines serves to be a great community
partner and potential employer for our Club kids.

Jim Keenan, SVP United Airlines, greets Rob Connolly, BGCSF President

Hats off to United Airlines for the success of its 2^nd Annual Golf Invitational!  We are extremely grateful
for your continued partnership.

Nibbi Construction and RMW Architecture

Our teens were treated to a day of interactive learning about architecture, interior design and the many facets of construction. The day began at the offices of RMW Architecture for an informal career panel on architecture and the necessary schooling needed to pursue a career.  Teens were then introduced to a hands-on session where they learned how to create their very own CAD drawings on computers.

They also learned some basics about material and colors after which they designed the interior of their dream bedroom or bathroom. The second half of the day took place at the site of the new Exploratorium Museum at Pier 15. Teens suited up in hardhats in order to see the progress of the project while learning of the many highly skilled roles one can find at a construction site.  

 Wix.com

Wix.com custom developed a course for our teens on web design and e-commerce. Teens were guided through the process of conceptualizing a website and learned how to effectively manipulate templates in order to develop a working site. They also learned about search engine optimization and some basic elements of design and web standards.

 Ideo: Design and Innovation Consultants

Ideo took teens on a tour through one of the world’s leading product design and process innovation agencies in the world. Teens learned about user experience and the importance of asking critical questions.  Designers and Researchers met with the teens to share their educational and professional experiences and to answer questions. Teens came away with an understanding of what it takes to create a truly innovative product. Teens were introduced to anthropology, product design, product engineering, and management.

Presidio School of Management

At the Presidio School of Management, teens learned how to identify their own definitions of sustainability and the importance of the green industry.  Teens even met with the President and listened to his career path and passion for sustainability.  After the presentation, sustainable non-profits and organizations such as Cliff Bar coordinated with one another and met with BGCSF teens in small groups for 20 minute discussions.  Teens walked away with the understanding that all careers in the future will have to consider sustainability.

 YouTube

BGCSF Teens had the incredible opportunity to tour YouTube’s offices in San Bruno where they spent the day with young professionals. Teens heard the stories and struggles of YouTube employees in capacities that spanned from writers to music industry professionals, to computer engineers. Teens were given a tour of the YouTube campus and gained exposure to the corporate culture at a technology company. After the presentation, teens and presenters sat down for lunch at the YouTube cafeteria where conversation and questions continued.

 Old Navy

Teens were invited to the corporate headquarters of Old Navy located in San Francisco for Camp Old Navy, where they learned about fashion design and the education it takes to pursue this path. They learned about the retail operations, loss prevention and in-store design, plus got an in depth look at Old Navy’s professional culture and inner business workings through highly tactile activities. Teens also experienced an impromptu group interview after which they were given feedback and pointers for future reference. The final activity was a professional dress challenge where teens had to pick interview outfits and explain their thought process. After receiving constructive feedback about their choices, teens were allowed to pick out a pair of flip flops to take home as a gift!

 Throughout the summer program, teens were coached in job readiness skills. Attendees were required to dress professionally and follow the BGCSF Professional Code of Conduct which includes agreements such as no cell phones and arriving ten minutes early. Special thanks to the companies mentioned above for opening their doors and sharing their time, staff, and resources with our teens in hopes of inspiring teens as they consider higher education and a future.

On July 18, 2011 BGCSF held its 38th Annual Golf Tournament at the Olympic Club, where guests had the opportunity to play on the Lake and Ocean courses. The tournament featured a longest drive competition, closest to the pin, straightest drive, cocktails & hors d’oeuvres, and silent auction. With great appreciation, BGCSF raised over $250,000 that will go to BGCSF programming and to providing a great future for the kids who need us most.

BGCSF greatly thanks third time Presenting Sponsor, U.S. Bank plus our two Event Chairs and Honorary Event Chair – Michael Walker, Jim Keenan and Don Shaver. A special thanks to all the sponsors and participants who contribute year after year to the success of the tournament:

Presenting Sponsor
U.S. Bank

Platinum Sponsor
United Airlines

Gold Sponsor
Kelvin Davis
Mike Dovey
Eastdil Secured
MetroPCS & Kyocera
TPG Capital
Wetherby Asset Management

Silver Plus Sponsor
Hudson Pacific Properties

Silver Sponsor
Allen Matkins Leck Gamble Mallory & Natsis LLP
BTIG LLC
Cassidy Turley BT Commercial
Cathy & Sandy Dean
Rocky Fried
GE Capital Real Estate
General Graphics Exhibits
Innovative Packaging Solutions
Kevin Johnson & Karen Jenkins Johnson
Jones Lang LaSalle
LBA Realty
Paramount Group
Sansome Partners LLC
See’s Candies
Starwood Capital Group
TMG Partners
URS Corporation
Woodruff-Sawyer & Co.
XL Insurance

Bronze Sponsors
Beacon Capital Partners
Brunswick Group
Catellus
DLA Piper Rudnick
Gensler
Sam Hooker & Michel Seifer
Gordon & Joan Marks
Novo Construction
Plant Construction & Brayer Electric
Silverado Contractors, Inc.
TIAA-CREF Global Real Estate
Tom Eliot Fisch
Wilson Meany Sullivan

To join next year’s Golf Committee and for information on sponsorship opportunities for 2012, please contact Sheila Steinberg at ssteinberg@kidsclub.org or 415-445-5418.

Patxi’s, a local Chicago style pizzeria, has chosen to support Boys & Girls Clubs of San Francisco on July 11^th!

Through their 52 Weeks of Giving program, BGCSF will receive a portion of all sales at all San Francisco locations for the entire day. This includes take-out, delivery, gift cards and beverages!

July 11^th just might be the perfect day for…

An office pizza party;
To take a friend out to lunch;
Order a pizza at home;
Buy a gift card for a thank you or birthday gift;
Stop by one of Patxi’s locations to say thank you for supporting Boys & Girls Clubs of San Francisco!

Patxi’s locations: Here’s a map of Patxi’s locations & delivery area

Hayes Valley
511 Hayes Street
San Francisco, 94102
415.558.9991

Noe Valley
4042 24th Street
San Francisco, 94114
415.285.2000

Fillmore
3318 Fillmore Street
San Francisco, 94123
415.345.3995

Follow the event on Facebook and Yelp

June 8, 2011 – 17 teens from Boys & Girls Clubs of San Francisco were exposed to the world of architecture and interior design. Teens from our Mission, Willie Mays, and Visitacion Valley Clubhouses convened at the RMW Architecture and Design building in Downtown San Francisco for a career adventure. During the brief introduction from Glenn Bauer, Principal at RMW and Board member for Boys & Girls Clubs of San Francisco, the teens were relieved to learn that math and science were not sole focal points in the lives of many architects.

Architect, Brent, leads the teens on a tour around RMW.

Other associates of RMW — Rhea, Mike, and Brent — shared what inspired each of them to pursue their respective careers. Their interests ranged from music and fashion to doodling and decorating. All of them possessed a relentless urge to “build” that started in their childhood. Afterwards, teens enjoyed hands on activities.

Glenn Bauer oversees the teens as they learn how to use SketchUp

From arranging a palette for an imaginary client to constructing building infrastructures using Google’s SketchUp, the members of the Boys & Girls Club of San Francisco truly gained a sense of what it’s like to be in the architectural and interior design field.

Nibbi Brothers Construction – The new Exploratorium Site

Following the colorful events at the RMW Architecture and Design building, the teens witnessed a high profile construction and architecture effort in progress. They received a tour of the future site of the Exploratorium, located at Pier 15. After securing themselves with safety goggles, hard hats, and safety vests the group was on its way to gain a deeper understanding of this very complex construction job. Did you know that at a given moment there were more men working underwater than there were working above ground?

Mike Nibbi, Project Executive at Nibbi Bros. Construction joined the group as site superintendent, John Bernal, explained the basics of a successful construction project.

The superintendent of the site describes how one of the future elevators for the Exlploratorium will be constructed.

Finally, through a 3-dimensional virtual blueprint of the future Exploratorium, teens learned about the roles of other professionals who aren’t on-site such as graphic designers and artists. Teens learned about the multitude of careers in construction and the different paths one can take.