We are excited to introduce several new partnerships this year.
Through a national collaboration with Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) , Sony Electronics Inc has provided photography equipment so youth at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Monmouth County’s Red Bank Unit have access to high-quality tools to use during for our National Photography program. The package includes several Sony point-and-shoot cameras, Sony interchangeable lens cameras, and Sony VAIO computers, as well as a stipend to help offset printing and other photography-related costs. The collaboration has introduced the world of photography to over 50 kids in Red Bank and given them an opportunity to compete in the BGCA’s ImageMakers National Photography Contest, which has a rich, 50-plus-year history in Boys & Girls Clubs, and the photography category of the Digital Arts Festivals.
The Gannett Foundation has generously supported the implementation of Robo Tech, a BGCA-developed computer technology program which introduces Club members to the field of robotics and its ancillary components of electronics, mechanics, and software. Robotics explores the design, manufacturing, and application of robots in a fun and creative setting. The program used Lego Mindstorms, a self-contained kit that provides an introduction to robotics through group tutorials. The program began in our Red Bank Unit where our kids worked in small groups and built working helicopters, ferris wheels, and robots.
Microsoft employees helped us revamp our computer room in Asbury Park. They installed new antivirus software on all our computers, rewired our networking, repaired several of our PCs, and donated games and gaming systems for special events including a demonstration of the new Madden football game for our youth.
The Best Buy Children’s Foundation awarded a Community Grant of $5,000 to the Asbury Park Unit to support our computer technology which is essential in all of our programming in homework assistance, life skills, career exploration, skills assessments, and job skills training. Technology aptitude is critical for our students’ success in school and the workplace, and we are their link to the technological world. In Asbury Park, all of our members have access to our secure computer room.
It is important that Boys & Girls Clubs offers the latest technology to members both for skill development and for overall youth development goals. The support from Sony Electronics Inc., the Best Buy Children’s Foundation, Microsoft, and the Gannett Foundation help us positively impact the lives of the youth we serve. We can assure you that the Boys & Girls Clubs of Monmouth County remains the Positive Place for Kids in our local communities.
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