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National Boys & Girls Club Week
Celebrates Proven Programs for America's Youth That Are
Needed Now, More
Than Ever
Tennis Icon Anna Kournikova and Cartoon Network Help
Boys & Girls Club Kids “GET ANIMATED” with Fitness Activities
Atlanta – March 24, 2009 – Boys & Girls Clubs across America
and on U.S. military bases overseas are celebrating National Boys & Girls
Club Week, March 22-28, by hosting thousands of events to emphasize the
importance and value of the Clubs to their communities. This week has been
celebrated for more than 75 years. Clubs invite everyone to come visit the
facilities and see first-hand the impact they are making on today’s youth.
“Boys & Girls Clubs are playing an increasingly vital role
in many young people’s lives,” said Roxanne Spillett, president of Boys &
Girls Clubs of America (BGCA). “In today’s economic climate, we offer a
positive place for kids whose parents are seeking an economical, safe and
enriching environment for their children. I hope parents in every community
will take time during Boys & Girls Club Week to see firsthand the variety
and value of programs offered by their local Club, including homework
tutorials and career exploration.”
Boys & Girls Clubs are unique in the field of child
development due to five identifying characteristics. Clubs provide:
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A safe place to learn and grow,
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Ongoing relationships with caring, adult professionals,
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Life-enhancing programs and character development
experiences,
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Hope and opportunity, and
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Peer, staff and volunteer recognition.
Clubs celebrate Boys & Girls Club Week in a variety of ways,
all with an emphasis on the five core Club program areas: Character &
Leadership Development; Education & Career Development; Health & Life
Skills; The Arts; and Sports, Fitness & Recreation. Activities in these five
core areas all support Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s overarching goal to
help each child reach their full potential and BE GREAT by securing academic
success, living a healthy lifestyle and distinguishing themselves as young
leaders.
To help support this concept of living an active, healthy
lifestyle, BGCA has partnered with Cartoon Network to host “GET ANIMATED
Day” at its Clubs on Tuesday, March 24. The network has donated four red
rubber playground balls and program materials, including game and exercise
activities and certificates of achievement – to all 4,300 Boys & Girls
Clubs, encouraging them to promote the importance of daily movement for all
children. GET ANIMATED Day kicks off with a national television appearance
by retired tennis pro Anna Kournikova.
“All kids need to be active,” says Kournikova. “I’m proud to
be associated with a group like Boys & Girls Clubs of America who recognizes
this need and is proactively providing resources to make this happen.”
Kournikova has been volunteering for Boys & Girls Clubs of America and her
local Clubs in Miami since 2004 and was the 2007 recipient of BGCA’s
Champion of Youth Award.
To learn more about the planned activities in your
community, find your local Boys & Girls Club by visiting
www.bgca.org/clubs or call (404) 487-5700.
About Boys & Girls Clubs of America
For more
than 100 years, Boys & Girls Clubs of America has been helping kids "Be
Great", providing hope and opportunity for those who need it most. Today,
some 4,300 Clubs serve some 4.8 million young people through Club membership
and community outreach. Known as The Positive Place for Kids, Boys & Girls
Clubs can be found all across the country and on U.S. military bases
throughout the world, providing young people 6-18 years old with
guidance-oriented character development programs conducted by trained,
professional staff. In communities large and small, Clubs positively impact
lives and help young people reach their full potential as productive, caring
citizens. Key programs emphasize leadership development; education and
career exploration; community service; technology training; financial
literacy; health and life skills; the arts; sports, fitness and recreation;
and family outreach. In a recent Harris Survey of Club alumni, 57 percent
said the Club saved their lives. National headquarters are located in
Atlanta.
About GET ANIMATED
GET ANIMATED is Cartoon Network’s health & wellness platform promoting
healthy, active lifestyles for kids nationwide. The 2009 campaign consists
of National Recess Week (March 2-6) – an in-school effort promoting the
importance of daily recess, GET ANIMATED with Anna Kournikova (Launching
March 24th) - exclusive fitness program at all Boys & Girls Clubs of
America, and the GET ANIMATED Summer Tour (May 23rd-September 9th)– a
40-market grassroots tour featuring eight stations promoting physical
activity and nutritional awareness. GET ANIMATED is supported by an ongoing
on-air campaign and online at
www.GETANIMATED.com. Cartoon Network will distribute over
$100,000 in health and wellness grants and 100,000 red rubber balls during
the yearlong effort.
About Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network (CartoonNetwork.com),
currently seen in more than 97 million U.S. homes and 166 countries around
the world, is Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.’s ad-supported cable service
now available in HD offering the best in original, acquired and classic
animated entertainment for kids and families. Nightly from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.
(ET, PT), Cartoon Network shares its channel space with Adult Swim, a
late-night destination showcasing original and acquired animation for young
adults 18-34. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company,
creates and programs branded news, entertainment, animation and young adult
media environments on television and other platforms for consumers around
the world.
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