This year’s Spring Break sports programming focused on giving our Club members specifically what they wanted to try.

They asked for cheerleading opportunities; we provided a cheer camp with the Chicago Bulls’ cheerleaders, the Luvabulls.

They asked for more tournaments against other Clubs; we provided a floor hockey tournament, a March Madness-style tournament between 12 Clubs, and we had a 3-on-3 girls only tournament.

They asked for field trips; we organized five Clubs to ice skate and visit the NHL Mobile Museum at the Fifth Third Arena – Chicago Blackhawks Community Ice Rink, among several other field trips.

“What excites me most is we are meeting the needs of what the kids say they want,” said Rollie Jones, BGCC’s Associate Director of Sports & Youth Leadership. “They like playing other Clubs, they like the friendly rivalry. A lot of our kids don’t know how big we are as an organization; they just think of their neighborhood Club. But when we take them to other parts of the city, get them in other Clubs, meeting other kids, it’s important.”

For many of our kids, it was their first time participating in organized sports, or even competing in a game with an official referee.

The Cheer Camp was the first of its kind and featured multiple Clubs in our James R. Jordan Club gymnasium learning from a professional cheerleader. At every water break, the girls were eager to know what was next during the two-hour clinic.

When it was over, multiple girls were heard saying, “What's next? When is the next cheer camp?” BGCC has scheduled more cheer programming and partnerships for Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago Summer Camp.

“There was no participant held back by shyness or skill level in any of these activities,” Jones said. “Anyone can get in the game and just play. There’s no pressure at BGCC, just opportunity to learn teamwork, sportsmanship and to their passion.”

For BGCC's organized tournaments, Logandale Club won the floor hockey tournament, Park Manor Club won the 3-on-3 girls' basketball tournament, and Green Club was crowned champions of the basketball tournament. However, at BGCC all our Club members are winners, because of friends like you. This is not it, but I’m trying to find a way to thank our donors for giving them a space to be safe during Spring Break.

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