We have our second United States Presidential Scholar winner.

I am now pleased to announce our second (in just six years!!!). Blaine Krauss, from our very own Royal Theater Arts Academy in St. Petersburg, is the 2010 United States Presidential Scholar in the Arts.
 
Blaine graduated from Gibbs High School on the 18th of June, and is working for BGCS during the summer (thanks to a generous grant/summer internship from our good friends at Bank of America ) and then join the Freshman Class at the Cincinnati Conservatory for the Arts (Ohio). The CCA is one of the most prestigious schools in the world.
 
Thanks to the staff at the Royal for working so hard to keep Blaine focused during those difficult times. A special thanks to Herbert Murphy, Alex Harris and the Hough Family Foundation. Together we have created success!

Many of you will remember in 2004 our own Matt Morton (Boys & Girls Clubs in Pinellas Park Teen Center ) was a US Presidential Scholarship winner who went onto become a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University. Matt will have his Ph.D. from Oxford in 2011.

We are very proud of Blaine, Matt, and the thousands of children and youth we serve

ST. PETERSBURG -- For once, Blaine Krauss is nervous. At 18, he has sung and acted in several states and on foreign soil. Yet he's not so sure what he will say to President Barack Obama on June 18.

"I would probably say, 'you are the reason why I watch CNN every day,' " said Krauss, who graduates Thursday from the Pinellas County Center for the Arts at Gibbs High School. "You are the reason why I joined student government."  Or he will say nothing.

"Dumbfounded" is how Krauss fears he will appear when he meets Obama.

The White House reception will be a pivotal moment for a young man whose vocal abilities have soared alongside his academic career, culminating in a rare honor among his peers. Blaine Krauss is one of four 2010 Presidential Scholars in Florida, the only one in the state in the performing arts category.

His grades are strong — SAT 1040, grade-point average 3.8. But by all accounts, it is Krauss' tenor voice that has carried him this far.

Yvette Lewis, an opera singer in Maryland, was one of the Presidential Scholar commissioners who voted for Krauss.  I have to tell you, that kid jumped off the page with me," said Lewis. "I am going to try to be as calm about this as I can, but I loved this kid, I really did."

June 8, 2010
Gibbs High's Blaine Krauss named 2010 Presidential Scholar
By Luis Perez, St. Petersburg Times Staff Writer

Boys & Girls Clubs of the Suncoast has launched a summer literacy program aptly named, Boys & Girls Club Summer Reading Camp.  Our Summer Reading Camp will encourage and inspire reading and learning to Club Members.   Working with the Pinellas County School system on the curriculum, facilitators and books, our camp will run for 10 weeks this summer, from June 10, 2010 to August 20, 2010 in our Clubs.

When the school doors close, many children struggle to access educational opportunities, as well as basic needs such as healthy meals and adequate adult supervision.   Please help us provide this opportunity for our children.   Our goal is to send 200 children to Boys & Girls Clubs Summer Reading Camp this summer at a cost of $1000 per child.  You will change their future!

By sponsoring one child in BGCS’s Summer Reading Camp you help them be successful in school and in life.

Numerous studies show that summer learning opportunities improve academic outcomes for youth.  Early and sustained summer learning opportunities lead to higher graduation rates and better preparation for college.  Summer programs have also been shown to positively affect children’s self-esteem, confidence, and motivation.

The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Suncoast honored over 200 youth at an event held at the Wood Valley Boys & Girls Club on June 4, 2010.  Shanoah Washington our 2010 County wide Youth of the Year was the emcee for the evening, with special performances by Jackie Varras, Leslie Cruz, and Kerry Cavaballo.  Even Raymond from the Tampa Bay Rays stopped by to entertain the kids. 

Shanoah Washington has been named the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Suncoast 2010 Youth of the Year!  A poet and spoken word artist from the Royal Theater Arts Academy, Shanoah will now go on to represent Boys & Girls Clubs of the Suncoast in the State Competition.  Each local Club selects a Youth of the Year and those winners compete for the County title.  “The competition was very stiff this year, all the young people on the panel were strong and well deserving”, said Aaron McGlon, Vice President of Operations for BGCS.

The winner was announced at a Youth of the Year reception for candidates and their families, Youth of the Year judges, BGCS Board Member and staff on Sunday, February 28, 2010 at the home of Kathy & Bob Guckenberger.

Congratulations to all the Club winners and Good Luck Shanoah!

Boys & Girls Clubs of the Suncoast joins Boys & Girls Clubs across America this week to celebrate National Boys & Girls Club Week, March 21-27, by hosting several events to emphasize the importance and value of the Clubs to the Pinellas County community. This week has been celebrated for more than 75 years. The organization invites everyone to come visit the Clubs and see first-hand the impact being made on today’s youth. 

ST. PETERSBURG, FL. --- Supporters of the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Suncoast journeyed back to the 1960s to celebrate the organization's half-century mark. Tie-dye costumes seemed to be de rigueur for the fundraiser, which drew about 400 guests to the Sirata Beach Resort in St. Pete Beach to be entertained by music of the period, go-go dancers and an Elvis Presley impersonator.

BGCS has its roots in the Boys Club of Pinellas Park, founded in November 1959 by Maurice L. MacTarsney, then the police chief, and Margaret "Peg" Nunn. In its current incarnation, led by executive director Carl Lavender Jr., the nonprofit has 11 clubs in Pinellas County.

Honored during the evening were founders, longtime supporters and sustainers of BGCS: Bob and Claudia Sokolowski and the Nicklaus family, including Harry and Beverly Nicklaus, Lenné Nicklaus-Ball, Deborah Nicklaus, Gregg Nicklaus and Valerie Nicklaus.

Amy Maguire and Lenné Nicklaus-Ball were co-chairs of the gala, a fundraiser for club scholarships.

The event committee included Alex Glenn, Andy Winkler, Angie Piazza, Barbara Royston, Bernie Craig, Bill Bennett, Brandi Winans, Carla Mattern, Cat Coats, Catherine McGarry, Derek Berset, Edie Spies, Georgetta Doyle, Jay Coats, Jim Coats, Kara Behar, Katja Weinstock, Leroy Sullivan, Rick Carrick and Tiffany Oferloch.