Next year's celebration will be held April 7 – 13, 2013!
This is the time to tell our story and show the world the magic that happens inside Clubs. Here are four easy ways your Club can join the celebration:
- Open the door. Take the tour. On Friday, April 20, we want to open 4,000 doors nationwide and show our communities how Great Futures begin at Boys & Girls Clubs. You can be a part of this spectacular event by planning your own open house. Here are some ways to build the excitement:
- Invite local celebrities, along with your members, to give personal tours of your Club.
- Make your entrance bold and beautiful – decorate your front door with “Boys & Girls Club blue.”
- Use the 100 Ways to Celebrate activity guide.
- For more ideas, download our Open the Door. Take the Tour. toolkit.
- Great Futures Start Here Public Service Announcements are now available for you to customize and place in local newspapers as well as with television and radio stations. These attention-grabbing materials feature Boys & Girls Clubs spokespersons Denzel Washington and Jenifer Lopez, along with 19 other prominent Club alumni. Let’s collectively flood our nation’s newspapers and airwaves by requesting Great Futures Start Here PSAs be placed during the month of April!
- Plan fun, daily activities in the Club to support Academic Success, Good Character and Citizenship, and Healthy Lifestyles. Review our list of recommended activities below.
- Blue Jeans for Blue Doors is a new, easy and fun way for your Club to raise funds during National Boys & Girls Club Week. Ask corporate partners to join your celebration. They can encourage their employees to wear blue jeans during BGCA Week in exchange for a donation to your Club.
- Monday, April 16
Open the door to education – Host an Academic Success Day and recognize members who are excelling academically with a special certificate and by placing their photos on a wall in your Club.
- Tuesday, April 17
Open the door to technology – Have fun with technology by selecting one of the many technology activities in “100 Ways to Celebrate National Boys & Girls Club Week ” (see below).
- Wednesday, April 18
Open the door to character and citizenship – Join BGCA in addressing the issues our young people are most concerned about by organizing a Youth Town Hall event. Organize an event in your community.
- Thursday, April 19
Open the door to healthy lifestyles – Let’s get out and play tag! Last year, we set a Guinness World Record, and we are going to set another this year for the most participants playing multiple games of tag in multiple locations within a 24-hour period. Help your members get fit with a fun activity everyone can enjoy.
- Friday, April 20
Open the door. Take the tour. Host a big open house for your community.
Out of ideas? Download 100 suggested easy-to-do activities, perfect for any Club no matter the size, budget or resources! (PDF format; five sections for easy download.)
Should you need assistance, contact us at bgcweek@bgca.org!
Every Club should develop and follow a written, annual marketing plan. One of the highlights should be BGC Week -- an ideal opportunity to communicate how your Club serves community needs year-round.
National Boys & Girls Club Week is also the ideal time to focus on your fundraising and youth outreach/recruitment efforts. For Clubs conducting the It Just Takes One campaign, the Boys & Girls Club Movement's annual fundraising initiative, refer to the It Just Takes One Campaign section for marketing materials to include in your BGC Week promotional efforts. The timing of the week parallels the Friends portion (public phase) of the fundraising campaign and represents an ideal time to reach potential donors with your brand identity and message through promotion and publicity.