September 8, 2025 • 15 mins
Brady Armstrong, Chief Development Officer of the Boys and Girls Club of Manhattan, discusses how federal funding challenges have impacted their services and the innovative ways they're responding to ensure no child is turned away.
• Over 600 kids walk through their doors daily across 13 locations
• Recent funding freeze forced them to cut enrollment by half, creating waitlists and impacting parents' ability to work
• Community response has been strong, with parents advocating to representatives
• Their "Manhattan Needs Club Kids" campaign highlights how club kids become valuable community assets
• Early Learning Center serves children as young as six weeks, with a capacity for 120 kids
• "Up Next" program placed 14 high school students in internships throughout Manhattan
• Mini Golf Classic fundraiser scheduled for September 28th at Wildcat Fitness and Fun
• Annual Casino Night fundraiser set for April 10th at the Alumni Center
• Youth of the Year program showcases success stories, including past winners now graduating from Yale
• Volunteer opportunities available for those wanting to support beyond financial contributions
We invite you to see what we do firsthand. Reach out to schedule a tour of our Early Learning Center, elementary sites, or teen center to witness the impact your support can make.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Philanthropy Today is brought to you by the Greater
Manhattan Community Foundation.
In this episode we feature arecently broadcast segment of
the GMCF Community Hour as heardon NewsRadio KMAN.
We are back at segment numberthree of the GMCF Community Hour
here on this eighth day ofSeptember and in this break we
(00:21):
are going to be speaking withBrady Armstrong.
He is the Chief DevelopmentOfficer of the Boys and Girls
Club of Manhattan and a frequentflyer here on the show.
Welcome back, sir.
Thank you for having me.
How's it going?
Great?
Speaker 2 (00:32):
Good to see you.
Speaker 1 (00:33):
I know you've got a lot of things going on and
there's been a lot of things inthe news about you know, and
every nonprofit is dealing withthis.
Every nonprofit is dealing withthis.
Every nonprofit is dealing withcutbacks of funds, grants.
You know challenges that posethat and that's one of the
things that we want to kind ofvisit about today Not just about
(00:55):
you know the challenges, butwhat you are doing to help
compensate for that.
So let's talk a bit about howyou know some of these cuts on a
federal level and maybe a statelevel have impacted the Boys
and Girls Club.
Speaker 2 (01:08):
Yeah, I think we saw the biggest impact this summer
as we were getting ready to comeback for fall.
One of our biggest fundingsources was Frozen.
Actually, the same day weopened our fall enrollments we
had to very quickly cut thatabout in half, which created
some pretty long wait lists, andwe heard from a lot of parents
about how they were beingaffected by not having access to
(01:30):
their before and after schoolcare, so the outpouring of
support from them was great.
I know we had a lot of peoplecall their representatives and
we were fortunate enough thatthat funding has been released.
So we're very close to havingthose wait lists cleared and
having folks back at the club,which we're really excited about
, do you?
Speaker 1 (01:48):
have a dollar figure you can share about how big a
hit.
Speaker 2 (01:52):
That was so.
The grant in total for the yearis about a million dollars.
What kind of chunk of yourbudget is that?
It's a good chunk.
It's about that.
One grant by itself is probablysomewhere 15 to 20 percent
probably.
It services nine of our 13locations, so it's definitely a
(02:12):
pillar of our programming.
Speaker 1 (02:15):
What kind of response .
I know you've been talkingabout this situation, especially
on social media.
I see a lot of that and you'vehad some things that you have
done, so can you share a littlebit about how folks in the area
have been stepping up?
Speaker 2 (02:30):
to help you through this.
Yeah, folks have been reachingout and definitely they
contacted their representativesand advocated for after school.
I think the biggest thing wesaw is just how much affordable
after school care matters to thelocal economy.
I can't tell you, we probablygot 100 responses in the first
day when we had to announcethose wait lists and almost
every single one was about howthe parents would either have to
(02:54):
quit their job or significantlyreduce their hours just because
you know how many jobs can youleave at 3.30 to go and make
sure your kid gets home safe?
So I think that was the biggestthing we heard is how vital
having that safe space for kidsto stay after school and before
school.
A lot of folks got to get towork early.
Speaker 1 (03:10):
Well, and as you know , you know, boys and Girls Club
was, oh my goodness, so helpfulfor me after my daughter and I
lost her mom.
She was 10.
And you know, those afterschool programs were just gosh.
That was a wonderful thing forus and I know that there are a
lot of families not necessarilyof the same cause, but dealing
with the same situation thatit's just tough.
Speaker 2 (03:34):
Yeah, it's over 600 kids who walk through our door
every day, and so each one ofthem has a reason to be there
whether it's something like youand your daughter were going
through whether it's just bothparents are pursuing their
careers.
We're going through whetherit's just both parents are
pursuing their careers.
Speaker 1 (03:51):
We find that we serve a real purpose to both the
parents and the kids who are inour program.
Well, that's, you know it'scool that a lot of people are
stepping up and I know thatyou've.
You know it may not be enough,but hey, it's a good start and
you know it's probably providedyou opportunities, or at least
thoughts on what you could do tocreate more opportunities for
people to help.
Speaker 2 (04:12):
Yeah, we're running congruently with this.
We were already running ourManhattan Needs Club Kids
campaign, which is where we'reasking people to step up and
support great futures inManhattan.
We're really trying to talkabout beyond just the service we
provide.
We're trying to show people howmuch of an asset the club kids
(04:33):
are to the community.
So we're telling the stories ofour youth of the year from last
year who's doing great work.
She's at Manhattan High School.
Really, we see that researchshows that the club kids are the
adults we need tomorrow in ourcommunity.
So we're really trying toadvocate and talk about the
impact for the community.
Speaker 1 (04:54):
So we've got a lot of people that listen to this show
, I know, and they love the factthat we get a chance to visit
about some of the challenges andsome of the great things that
are happening.
And it's not all gloom and doom, no, no, not at all.
I mean, you're doing wonderfulwork.
We all know that and you knowthis is consistent with all the
nonprofits, but there's allkinds of different ways that
(05:15):
people can help organizationslike the Boys and Girls Club.
So what would you?
Speaker 2 (05:20):
suggest?
Yeah, I think the biggest, thenumber one thing I would suggest
if you've never interacted withthe club is we'd love to have
you out to the club and show youwhat we do every day.
You can reach out to me or ourCEO, hannah, and we can take you
to a tour of our early learningcenter, where we serve kids as
young as six weeks old, one ofour 11 elementary sites where
we're serving K-5, or you cancome downtown to the teen center
(05:43):
where we're serving our middleand high schoolers and really
see all that it is that we do atthe club.
Speaker 1 (05:49):
It's not on our talking points list, but the
Early Learning Center has beenup.
What a year and a half, twoyears now, yeah a little over a
year.
Yeah, and it's over just offHighway 24, off just south of
Green Valley Road or on theother side.
Speaker 2 (06:03):
Yeah, just off 24, same corner as Casey's and
Dara's out there.
Yeah, it's south of Casey's.
Speaker 1 (06:09):
Yes, yeah, okay, okay .
So this, I think, was a littlebit out of the box thinking for
you guys and you saw a need anddue to a generous community, you
were able to help a lot with alot of child care needs and it's
kind of a different program forall the other things that you
do within the schools at theclub.
Speaker 2 (06:31):
Yeah, it's a.
I would say it's an innovativeapproach.
There's a few clubs around thecountry doing it, but it's far
from the norm.
But we saw a need for not onlymore child care spots but
affordable ones in our community, so it's been great to be
serving them this last year.
We run a great curriculum outthere and get folks ready for
(06:52):
school and then we are excitedthat we're able to serve them
all the way through graduationand into their careers.
Speaker 1 (06:57):
Do you have hopes or goals of doing another one?
Speaker 2 (07:02):
Maybe down the road.
Right now, I think we're reallyfocused on building that one up
and getting it all the way tocapacity.
Speaker 1 (07:08):
We've got some other challenges that have come up
here lately that probably take alittle bit more of a urgent
need.
Speaker 2 (07:12):
Yeah especially with our elementary programs.
But we've got great capacityout there.
We can serve up to 120 kids.
So I know we've got some spotsstill available now.
Speaker 1 (07:22):
So we're uh excited about building that center out
so you've got a fun event comingup here later this month.
Yeah, and uh, you know, minigolf is something I just love,
love, love to do, and it's justright down my alley, you know.
So tell us about this.
Speaker 2 (07:37):
You call it, uh, the mini golf classic yeah, so we're
trying a new event this year.
We're trying to take some ofthe?
Um the things you would see ata normal golf tournament
fundraiser and make themaccessible and family friendly.
So we'll be out at wildcatfitness and fun um doing a mini
golf tournament out there.
Um we'll have some food andbeverages.
We'd love to see folks come outwith the family and support the
(07:59):
club okay, is this a tournamentor just for fun?
We're doing it just for fun thisyear, but if folks want to get
competitive, I'm sure we canfigure something out.
Speaker 1 (08:08):
Oh, I'll be competitive when is this.
Speaker 2 (08:10):
That'll be September 28th, from three to five Okay.
Speaker 1 (08:15):
Wildcat Creek, yep.
Good place to go yeah.
Speaker 2 (08:18):
It's a great fun place.
Speaker 1 (08:19):
Beautiful place to go .
It's a fun little course.
Speaker 2 (08:22):
Love going out there.
Yeah, it's a great fun place,beautiful place to go.
It's a fun little course, lovegoing out there.
Yeah, it's a good spot, um, andwe'll have access to the
driving range as well, so Ithink we might do a little
competition on that before weget the mini golf started.
Yeah, some longest drive typestuff, something closest to the
bus yeah, I think you gottaprize if you ding the bus that
would be fun yeah I thinkthat'll yeah, so it'll be.
Speaker 1 (08:40):
Can you have something like the dunking tank
out there, where somebody youknow you put a dunk tank and if
you have gotten some requestsfor a dunk tank.
Speaker 2 (08:47):
We might, if we can find a connection for that, we
might see if we can figure thatout.
Speaker 1 (08:51):
This is what happens when I get free reign over this
show, so how can people sign upto participate?
Speaker 2 (08:57):
yeah, we'd love for folks to purchase some tickets
and come see us um.
You can find the info on ourwebsite at bgclubmanhattancom or
you can interact with ourFacebook event at Boys and Girls
Club of Manhattan on Facebookand Instagram.
Good.
Speaker 1 (09:09):
I want to talk a little bit and this goes back to
the previous portion of oursegment here, talking about some
of the financial impacts ofsome of the grants that have
ended.
Has that changed your staffsituation?
Speaker 2 (09:25):
Fortunately for us it hasn't yet.
We've been able to sustain that.
I think it did draw someattention to the need for more
local support to make sure wecan be here long-term, but we've
been fortunate enough right nowthat we've been able to retain
everybody.
Speaker 1 (09:41):
Good, good, but you still have some 600 kids that go
through the program and I betyou have the capacity to do more
.
Do you need more staff if youbring in more?
Speaker 2 (09:52):
We can always.
We always try to make sure nokid is turned away.
So we have some very short waitlists at a few of our sites
right now, but we anticipaterolling people off of those very
soon.
Speaker 1 (10:03):
What are ways?
People can just volunteer theirtime.
Speaker 2 (10:06):
Yeah, volunteering the best ways to do that.
So our events are a great wayto get involved.
We do casino night in thespring, which I know you're very
familiar with, mini golf, andthen folks who want to make a
real-time commitment.
We, of course, are alwayslooking for great board members.
Speaker 1 (10:24):
Yeah, the Casino Night is April 10th.
April 10th We'll be at theAlumni Center again.
All right, and I have been apart of every one of those.
I know we couldn't Probablybefore you were born that might
have been, you know, the firstones we did at Colony Square and
you know it was uh, it grew andgrew and it's just become one
of those uh, iconic events.
Speaker 2 (10:46):
Yeah, it's been a lot of fun getting involved with
the last few years.
We're looking forward to itagain.
Speaker 1 (10:52):
Yeah, do you have all the particulars, uh, worked out
yet, other than the date andthe location?
Speaker 2 (10:54):
Um, we've got the venue.
Um, I'm still kicking aroundsome theme ideas.
Speaker 1 (10:58):
Eight months away, I know.
Speaker 2 (10:59):
It always sneaks up on us right after we started the
new year.
We've had some great themes thelast few years, so I'm trying
to pick a good one and announceit soon, but we're still working
through that.
Speaker 1 (11:12):
All right, put that down on the calendar, folks,
because that's always a goodtime and tickets as it gets
closer can be a little bitdifficult to get.
So put it on the calendar now.
Speaker 2 (11:23):
Yeah, we anticipate it filling up and we'll also
probably do some early birdspecials.
So right after the new year,definitely keep an eye out for
our announcement and get yourtickets as soon as you can.
Okay.
Speaker 1 (11:34):
Man, we've talked about a lot of things.
I still got five minutes oftime to talk about.
What do you want to say?
Speaker 2 (11:39):
Okay.
Well, I think, to get away frommaybe some of the doom and
gloom, I think one of the we arealways trying new things at the
Boys and Girls Club.
I was really excited.
This summer we did a newprogram called Up Next.
So Boys and Girls Club has inthe last few years added
workforce and life readiness toone of our priority outcomes.
So we were really excited to beable to place I believe it was
(12:04):
14 kids at internships aroundthe local community where they
were able to get their firstwork experience in high school.
So they we had one student atinterning at the breadbasket, we
had one working at MathisPhysical Therapy.
So to see those kids, just thegreat job they did this summer
and the impact they had, and wewere very fortunate to have
(12:26):
those community partners as well, and you talked about your
youth of the year and this isone of the highlights.
Speaker 1 (12:31):
You know we talk about Casino Night as a
fundraiser, but it's also anopportunity for those that are
there to hear from a youngsterwho has done some wonderful
things, who has grown in so manydifferent areas because of not
just because, but Boys and GirlsClub has been highly impactful
(12:53):
in their lives.
I love those stories, yeahthey're great.
Speaker 2 (12:57):
Our current Youth of the Year, Hannah.
She's got a great story.
She immigrated to the US,didn't speak English when she
got here and really credits theclub with helping her get out of
her shell and make friends, andshe's doing a great job over at
Manhattan High School now We'llhopefully see her at this
year's Youth of the Yearcompetition as well, as well as
(13:17):
probably some newcomers, sothat'll be beginning of the year
.
In January you can come out andsee our Youth of the Year event
or wait to hear from the winnerat Casino Night in April.
Speaker 1 (13:27):
I know our Youth of the Year has gone on.
You know we've had some of thepast, have gone on and become
the state winner.
Speaker 2 (13:33):
Yeah, the state winner Shalise.
She did great.
She's finishing up at Yale.
I believe this year she'llgraduate from Yale and I think
she's returning to the Manhattancommunity.
But she's a real example.
She is a real example.
Yeah, she's a special youngwoman.
Speaker 1 (13:50):
Yeah, yeah yeah, and, and her, her testimony that she
gave is just one of my favoritemoments that, uh, that you've
had there at those events yeah,yeah, it's always.
Speaker 2 (14:02):
Um, I think the thing that speaks out is that it's
always.
They remember the relationships.
I know she still checks in withMiss Shannon and Miss Alyssa
frequently, so it's therelationships they build that
are really lifelong.
Speaker 1 (14:16):
Absolutely Okay.
So we have a little mini golfevent, the mini golf classic you
call it the mini golf classicBenefiting the Boys and girls
club.
Yep, how much does it cost toparticipate?
Um?
Speaker 2 (14:31):
we've got general admission for 35, and then you
can get a vip ticket for 75 okay, all right, september 28th, 3
to 5 pm at wildcat Yep, put thatdown.
Speaker 1 (14:43):
Put April 10 on your calendar.
It's on mine.
Speaker 2 (14:46):
I hope so yeah it is.
Speaker 1 (14:52):
That's the one constant, it seems like, between
me and Kathy Stevens, I think.
Yep, but it's an honor to be apart of that and I just enjoyed
all of those things.
So, brady, thanks for joiningus, dude.
Yeah, thank you so much forhaving me Give our best to
everybody in Hanna and everybodyback at the mainstay, and we'll
(15:13):
get you in again, probably nextspring, right?
Speaker 2 (15:15):
Yep, I'll come see you right before casino night
Sounds good, brady Armstrong.
Speaker 1 (15:19):
Chief Development Officer at the Boys and Girls
Club of Manhattan.
You can find out more aboutthem at bgclubmanhattancom.
Thank you, thank you.
All right, when we come back,we're going to bring you up to
date on some things that arehappening in the community.
No-transcript.
Philanthropy Today is brought to you by the Greater
Manhattan Community Foundation.
In this episode we feature arecently broadcast segment of
the GMCF Community Hour as heardon NewsRadio KMAN.
We are back at segment numberthree of the GMCF Community Hour
here on this eighth day ofSeptember and in this break we
(00:21):
are going to be speaking withBrady Armstrong.
He is the Chief DevelopmentOfficer of the Boys and Girls
Club of Manhattan and a frequentflyer here on the show.
Welcome back, sir.
Thank you for having me.
How's it going?
Great?
Speaker 2 (00:32):
Good to see you.
Speaker 1 (00:33):
I know you've got a lot of things going on and
there's been a lot of things inthe news about you know, and
every nonprofit is dealing withthis.
Every nonprofit is dealing withthis.
Every nonprofit is dealing withcutbacks of funds, grants.
You know challenges that posethat and that's one of the
things that we want to kind ofvisit about today Not just about
(00:55):
you know the challenges, butwhat you are doing to help
compensate for that.
So let's talk a bit about howyou know some of these cuts on a
federal level and maybe a statelevel have impacted the Boys
and Girls Club.
Speaker 2 (01:08):
Yeah, I think we saw the biggest impact this summer
as we were getting ready to comeback for fall.
One of our biggest fundingsources was Frozen.
Actually, the same day weopened our fall enrollments we
had to very quickly cut thatabout in half, which created
some pretty long wait lists, andwe heard from a lot of parents
about how they were beingaffected by not having access to
(01:30):
their before and after schoolcare, so the outpouring of
support from them was great.
I know we had a lot of peoplecall their representatives and
we were fortunate enough thatthat funding has been released.
So we're very close to havingthose wait lists cleared and
having folks back at the club,which we're really excited about
, do you?
Speaker 1 (01:48):
have a dollar figure you can share about how big a
hit.
Speaker 2 (01:52):
That was so.
The grant in total for the yearis about a million dollars.
What kind of chunk of yourbudget is that?
It's a good chunk.
It's about that.
One grant by itself is probablysomewhere 15 to 20 percent
probably.
It services nine of our 13locations, so it's definitely a
(02:12):
pillar of our programming.
Speaker 1 (02:15):
What kind of response .
I know you've been talkingabout this situation, especially
on social media.
I see a lot of that and you'vehad some things that you have
done, so can you share a littlebit about how folks in the area
have been stepping up?
Speaker 2 (02:30):
to help you through this.
Yeah, folks have been reachingout and definitely they
contacted their representativesand advocated for after school.
I think the biggest thing wesaw is just how much affordable
after school care matters to thelocal economy.
I can't tell you, we probablygot 100 responses in the first
day when we had to announcethose wait lists and almost
every single one was about howthe parents would either have to
(02:54):
quit their job or significantlyreduce their hours just because
you know how many jobs can youleave at 3.30 to go and make
sure your kid gets home safe?
So I think that was the biggestthing we heard is how vital
having that safe space for kidsto stay after school and before
school.
A lot of folks got to get towork early.
Speaker 1 (03:10):
Well, and as you know , you know, boys and Girls Club
was, oh my goodness, so helpfulfor me after my daughter and I
lost her mom.
She was 10.
And you know, those afterschool programs were just gosh.
That was a wonderful thing forus and I know that there are a
lot of families not necessarilyof the same cause, but dealing
with the same situation thatit's just tough.
Speaker 2 (03:34):
Yeah, it's over 600 kids who walk through our door
every day, and so each one ofthem has a reason to be there
whether it's something like youand your daughter were going
through whether it's just bothparents are pursuing their
careers.
We're going through whetherit's just both parents are
pursuing their careers.
Speaker 1 (03:51):
We find that we serve a real purpose to both the
parents and the kids who are inour program.
Well, that's, you know it'scool that a lot of people are
stepping up and I know thatyou've.
You know it may not be enough,but hey, it's a good start and
you know it's probably providedyou opportunities, or at least
thoughts on what you could do tocreate more opportunities for
people to help.
Speaker 2 (04:12):
Yeah, we're running congruently with this.
We were already running ourManhattan Needs Club Kids
campaign, which is where we'reasking people to step up and
support great futures inManhattan.
We're really trying to talkabout beyond just the service we
provide.
We're trying to show people howmuch of an asset the club kids
(04:33):
are to the community.
So we're telling the stories ofour youth of the year from last
year who's doing great work.
She's at Manhattan High School.
Really, we see that researchshows that the club kids are the
adults we need tomorrow in ourcommunity.
So we're really trying toadvocate and talk about the
impact for the community.
Speaker 1 (04:54):
So we've got a lot of people that listen to this show
, I know, and they love the factthat we get a chance to visit
about some of the challenges andsome of the great things that
are happening.
And it's not all gloom and doom, no, no, not at all.
I mean, you're doing wonderfulwork.
We all know that and you knowthis is consistent with all the
nonprofits, but there's allkinds of different ways that
(05:15):
people can help organizationslike the Boys and Girls Club.
So what would you?
Speaker 2 (05:20):
suggest?
Yeah, I think the biggest, thenumber one thing I would suggest
if you've never interacted withthe club is we'd love to have
you out to the club and show youwhat we do every day.
You can reach out to me or ourCEO, hannah, and we can take you
to a tour of our early learningcenter, where we serve kids as
young as six weeks old, one ofour 11 elementary sites where
we're serving K-5, or you cancome downtown to the teen center
(05:43):
where we're serving our middleand high schoolers and really
see all that it is that we do atthe club.
Speaker 1 (05:49):
It's not on our talking points list, but the
Early Learning Center has beenup.
What a year and a half, twoyears now, yeah a little over a
year.
Yeah, and it's over just offHighway 24, off just south of
Green Valley Road or on theother side.
Speaker 2 (06:03):
Yeah, just off 24, same corner as Casey's and
Dara's out there.
Yeah, it's south of Casey's.
Speaker 1 (06:09):
Yes, yeah, okay, okay .
So this, I think, was a littlebit out of the box thinking for
you guys and you saw a need anddue to a generous community, you
were able to help a lot with alot of child care needs and it's
kind of a different program forall the other things that you
do within the schools at theclub.
Speaker 2 (06:31):
Yeah, it's a.
I would say it's an innovativeapproach.
There's a few clubs around thecountry doing it, but it's far
from the norm.
But we saw a need for not onlymore child care spots but
affordable ones in our community, so it's been great to be
serving them this last year.
We run a great curriculum outthere and get folks ready for
(06:52):
school and then we are excitedthat we're able to serve them
all the way through graduationand into their careers.
Speaker 1 (06:57):
Do you have hopes or goals of doing another one?
Speaker 2 (07:02):
Maybe down the road.
Right now, I think we're reallyfocused on building that one up
and getting it all the way tocapacity.
Speaker 1 (07:08):
We've got some other challenges that have come up
here lately that probably take alittle bit more of a urgent
need.
Speaker 2 (07:12):
Yeah especially with our elementary programs.
But we've got great capacityout there.
We can serve up to 120 kids.
So I know we've got some spotsstill available now.
Speaker 1 (07:22):
So we're uh excited about building that center out
so you've got a fun event comingup here later this month.
Yeah, and uh, you know, minigolf is something I just love,
love, love to do, and it's justright down my alley, you know.
So tell us about this.
Speaker 2 (07:37):
You call it, uh, the mini golf classic yeah, so we're
trying a new event this year.
We're trying to take some ofthe?
Um the things you would see ata normal golf tournament
fundraiser and make themaccessible and family friendly.
So we'll be out at wildcatfitness and fun um doing a mini
golf tournament out there.
Um we'll have some food andbeverages.
We'd love to see folks come outwith the family and support the
(07:59):
club okay, is this a tournamentor just for fun?
We're doing it just for fun thisyear, but if folks want to get
competitive, I'm sure we canfigure something out.
Speaker 1 (08:08):
Oh, I'll be competitive when is this.
Speaker 2 (08:10):
That'll be September 28th, from three to five Okay.
Speaker 1 (08:15):
Wildcat Creek, yep.
Good place to go yeah.
Speaker 2 (08:18):
It's a great fun place.
Speaker 1 (08:19):
Beautiful place to go .
It's a fun little course.
Speaker 2 (08:22):
Love going out there.
Yeah, it's a great fun place,beautiful place to go.
It's a fun little course, lovegoing out there.
Yeah, it's a good spot, um, andwe'll have access to the
driving range as well, so Ithink we might do a little
competition on that before weget the mini golf started.
Yeah, some longest drive typestuff, something closest to the
bus yeah, I think you gottaprize if you ding the bus that
would be fun yeah I thinkthat'll yeah, so it'll be.
Speaker 1 (08:40):
Can you have something like the dunking tank
out there, where somebody youknow you put a dunk tank and if
you have gotten some requestsfor a dunk tank.
Speaker 2 (08:47):
We might, if we can find a connection for that, we
might see if we can figure thatout.
Speaker 1 (08:51):
This is what happens when I get free reign over this
show, so how can people sign upto participate?
Speaker 2 (08:57):
yeah, we'd love for folks to purchase some tickets
and come see us um.
You can find the info on ourwebsite at bgclubmanhattancom or
you can interact with ourFacebook event at Boys and Girls
Club of Manhattan on Facebookand Instagram.
Good.
Speaker 1 (09:09):
I want to talk a little bit and this goes back to
the previous portion of oursegment here, talking about some
of the financial impacts ofsome of the grants that have
ended.
Has that changed your staffsituation?
Speaker 2 (09:25):
Fortunately for us it hasn't yet.
We've been able to sustain that.
I think it did draw someattention to the need for more
local support to make sure wecan be here long-term, but we've
been fortunate enough right nowthat we've been able to retain
everybody.
Speaker 1 (09:41):
Good, good, but you still have some 600 kids that go
through the program and I betyou have the capacity to do more
.
Do you need more staff if youbring in more?
Speaker 2 (09:52):
We can always.
We always try to make sure nokid is turned away.
So we have some very short waitlists at a few of our sites
right now, but we anticipaterolling people off of those very
soon.
Speaker 1 (10:03):
What are ways?
People can just volunteer theirtime.
Speaker 2 (10:06):
Yeah, volunteering the best ways to do that.
So our events are a great wayto get involved.
We do casino night in thespring, which I know you're very
familiar with, mini golf, andthen folks who want to make a
real-time commitment.
We, of course, are alwayslooking for great board members.
Speaker 1 (10:24):
Yeah, the Casino Night is April 10th.
April 10th We'll be at theAlumni Center again.
All right, and I have been apart of every one of those.
I know we couldn't Probablybefore you were born that might
have been, you know, the firstones we did at Colony Square and
you know it was uh, it grew andgrew and it's just become one
of those uh, iconic events.
Speaker 2 (10:46):
Yeah, it's been a lot of fun getting involved with
the last few years.
We're looking forward to itagain.
Speaker 1 (10:52):
Yeah, do you have all the particulars, uh, worked out
yet, other than the date andthe location?
Speaker 2 (10:54):
Um, we've got the venue.
Um, I'm still kicking aroundsome theme ideas.
Speaker 1 (10:58):
Eight months away, I know.
Speaker 2 (10:59):
It always sneaks up on us right after we started the
new year.
We've had some great themes thelast few years, so I'm trying
to pick a good one and announceit soon, but we're still working
through that.
Speaker 1 (11:12):
All right, put that down on the calendar, folks,
because that's always a goodtime and tickets as it gets
closer can be a little bitdifficult to get.
So put it on the calendar now.
Speaker 2 (11:23):
Yeah, we anticipate it filling up and we'll also
probably do some early birdspecials.
So right after the new year,definitely keep an eye out for
our announcement and get yourtickets as soon as you can.
Okay.
Speaker 1 (11:34):
Man, we've talked about a lot of things.
I still got five minutes oftime to talk about.
What do you want to say?
Speaker 2 (11:39):
Okay.
Well, I think, to get away frommaybe some of the doom and
gloom, I think one of the we arealways trying new things at the
Boys and Girls Club.
I was really excited.
This summer we did a newprogram called Up Next.
So Boys and Girls Club has inthe last few years added
workforce and life readiness toone of our priority outcomes.
So we were really excited to beable to place I believe it was
(12:04):
14 kids at internships aroundthe local community where they
were able to get their firstwork experience in high school.
So they we had one student atinterning at the breadbasket, we
had one working at MathisPhysical Therapy.
So to see those kids, just thegreat job they did this summer
and the impact they had, and wewere very fortunate to have
(12:26):
those community partners as well, and you talked about your
youth of the year and this isone of the highlights.
Speaker 1 (12:31):
You know we talk about Casino Night as a
fundraiser, but it's also anopportunity for those that are
there to hear from a youngsterwho has done some wonderful
things, who has grown in so manydifferent areas because of not
just because, but Boys and GirlsClub has been highly impactful
(12:53):
in their lives.
I love those stories, yeahthey're great.
Speaker 2 (12:57):
Our current Youth of the Year, Hannah.
She's got a great story.
She immigrated to the US,didn't speak English when she
got here and really credits theclub with helping her get out of
her shell and make friends, andshe's doing a great job over at
Manhattan High School now We'llhopefully see her at this
year's Youth of the Yearcompetition as well, as well as
(13:17):
probably some newcomers, sothat'll be beginning of the year
.
In January you can come out andsee our Youth of the Year event
or wait to hear from the winnerat Casino Night in April.
Speaker 1 (13:27):
I know our Youth of the Year has gone on.
You know we've had some of thepast, have gone on and become
the state winner.
Speaker 2 (13:33):
Yeah, the state winner Shalise.
She did great.
She's finishing up at Yale.
I believe this year she'llgraduate from Yale and I think
she's returning to the Manhattancommunity.
But she's a real example.
She is a real example.
Yeah, she's a special youngwoman.
Speaker 1 (13:50):
Yeah, yeah yeah, and, and her, her testimony that she
gave is just one of my favoritemoments that, uh, that you've
had there at those events yeah,yeah, it's always.
Speaker 2 (14:02):
Um, I think the thing that speaks out is that it's
always.
They remember the relationships.
I know she still checks in withMiss Shannon and Miss Alyssa
frequently, so it's therelationships they build that
are really lifelong.
Speaker 1 (14:16):
Absolutely Okay.
So we have a little mini golfevent, the mini golf classic you
call it the mini golf classicBenefiting the Boys and girls
club.
Yep, how much does it cost toparticipate?
Um?
Speaker 2 (14:31):
we've got general admission for 35, and then you
can get a vip ticket for 75 okay, all right, september 28th, 3
to 5 pm at wildcat Yep, put thatdown.
Speaker 1 (14:43):
Put April 10 on your calendar.
It's on mine.
Speaker 2 (14:46):
I hope so yeah it is.
Speaker 1 (14:52):
That's the one constant, it seems like, between
me and Kathy Stevens, I think.
Yep, but it's an honor to be apart of that and I just enjoyed
all of those things.
So, brady, thanks for joiningus, dude.
Yeah, thank you so much forhaving me Give our best to
everybody in Hanna and everybodyback at the mainstay, and we'll
(15:13):
get you in again, probably nextspring, right?
Speaker 2 (15:15):
Yep, I'll come see you right before casino night
Sounds good, brady Armstrong.
Speaker 1 (15:19):
Chief Development Officer at the Boys and Girls
Club of Manhattan.
You can find out more aboutthem at bgclubmanhattancom.
Thank you, thank you.
All right, when we come back,we're going to bring you up to
date on some things that arehappening in the community.
No-transcript.
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