Wilmington Club Teens Celebrate Mother's Day

Alma de Oro Ballet Folklorico of Carson which some of our younger

Club members are part of, performed at our Mother's Day Celebration.

We often have celebrations at our Clubs to honor the accomplishments of our youth, but it's a very special day when our youth honor the people who support them. On May 9, our Wilmington Club High School Center members, part of the Keystone leadership group, held their annual Mother's Day Celebration. They raised funds to host a special banquet and live show for their families including entertainment by Mariachi Mendez and Alma de Oro Ballet Folklorico.

Our Wilmington teens decided to extend Cinco de Mayo festivities with a "Fiesta" theme for this year's Mother's Day Celebration which 150 attended. When the live mariachi performers surprised the families midway through dinner, youth members approached their mothers with a rose to express their love and appreciation. Some youth, whose mothers could not attend, honored a mentor, friend or one of the staff members at our Club, like Director Hilda Chacon, who has made a difference in their lives.

One of our Wilmington Club teens presents her mother with a rose.

Our teens arranged for Mariachi Mendez to surprise their families midway through dinner.

Partner Spotlight - ILWU

From union executives to workers, all ILWU members help in developing our community for the next generation.

Boys & Girls Clubs of the Los Angeles Harbor has had a long standing partnership with the ILWU. Many union members who have grown up in the Harbor area attended our Club through the years and send their children to participate in enrichment programming in the same nurturing environment that they experienced. Together, our organizations work for a brighter future in the harbor area for our youth.

One such collaboration took place recently with the newest addition to our Club sites, Harry Bridges Span School in Wilmington with a very generous grant from the ILWU. We coordinate after school programming at 11 school sites in San Pedro, Wilmington and Lomita and we are proud to add one of the newest schools in the Heart of the Harbor to that list. Our free programs for youth at Harry Bridges Span School, including music education, cheer team, drill team and College Bound, are made possible thanks to the ILWU.

ILWU and PMA leaders receive art work created by our youth at the 2013 ILWU / PMA Luncheon.

Palos Verdes Young Professionals Exposing our College Bound Teens to Career Paths

Every year, the Palos Verdes Young Professionals of the Palos Verdes Peninsula Chamber of Commerce select a Nonprofit of the Year from Chamber members. This year, we have the honor of being that nonprofit organization.

As their first project for our Clubs, the PVYP coordinated a career fair for our high school students at the Wilmington Boys & Girls Club on May 8 with close to 100 high school students attending.

Often when youth attend career fairs, they tend to gravitate toward just one industry without learning about the opportunities in a different field. The PVYP Committee planned for the event to expose youth to several different career paths. They recruited volunteers for a multi-panel event where high school students attended three panel sessions representing different industries. 

College Bound students at the Wilmington and San Pedro Clubs prepared with career assessment tests to alert them to different industries they should be exploring. The whole experience really opened our high school members' eyes to different career and educational opportunities as they enter the next stage of their lives.

Special thanks to our PVYP volunteers who helped the event run smoothly and volunteer panelists who shared their experiences in the fields of Business, Engineering, Health & Wellness, Hospitality, Entertainment and Film Production.

Jordan Baronfeld, Miyako Hybrid Hotel

College Bound youth speaking with an Engineering panelist

during the mixer of our PVYP Career Fair.

Deena Knight, Daily Breeze
Mark J. Doddy, RPVtv
Mike Merell, Disney/Pixar
Sinisa Straser, GlenAir
Deep Patel, GigaWatt
Robert Castellanos, Nano H2O
George Walker, Vistage
Lauren Spiglanin, The Remedy Pharm
Dr. Dave Pommerenck, Pommerenck Chiropractic


*Photos courtesy of PVYP.

PVYP Committee, PVYP volunteers and BGCLAH staff celebrating their collaboration for our youth.

Honoring our College Bound Graduating Seniors

On May 29 at 6:00 pm at the Warner Grand Theatre, we will honor our College Bound graduating seniors from San Pedro and Wilmington at our 8th Annual College Bound Celebration.

Many high school students devote their time and energy on pursuing their dreams of going to college. With all of the obstacles youth face - including financial barriers, strict application requirements, balancing extracurricular activities, unsafe environments, peer pressure, and family obligations - it's always cause to celebrate when they have successfully navigated their way to high school graduation. Our College Bound program provides students with the resources and attention they need to overcome these obstacles. 

Elizabeth Machado is one of the graduating seniors from our San Pedro Club who will be honored at the Celebration as one of our highest achieving students. Elizabeth is a San Pedro High School senior and was accepted into several top universities including an Ivy League school before choosing to go to UCLA in the fall. She is a first generation Mexican American and her family has experienced much success thanks to College Bound. Her cousin and brother both completed the program and will return to San Pedro from their four-year universities to celebrate with Elizabeth. Her younger brother is working hard with College Bound case managers to match his sister’s accomplishments in a couple of years.

"The College Bound program gave me the support I needed as I applied to rigorous schools and countless scholarships. I am thankful that the staff gave me the "push" I needed to get them completed within deadlines." - Elizabeth

Francisco Hinojosa is a Banning High School graduate from the Wilmington Club who has overcome social and financial struggles to accomplish his dreams. He will attend UC Santa Barbara in the fall as the first in his family to go to college. He was raised in a low income household by parents who each work two jobs to support their family which required Francisco to take on a part-time job to help. Despite these hardships, Francisco was able to balance school, extra-curricular activities, community service and his job to get good grades. Thanks to the support of the College Bound program in helping him keep up his grades and complete his applications, Francisco earned the financial aid and scholarships to make his dreams a reality.

"I can honestly say that if I would've never joined the Club and the College Bound program, I would be lost. I would've never known my full potential as a person and abilities to go to college,” - Francisco.

Kimberly Melendez is a senior at Banning High School, attends our Wilmington Club and will attend UC Berkeley in the fall. As she was preparing her college applications with the guidance of our College Bound case managers, she spoke of the many challenges she faced when she entered high school. Many of the youth in her neighborhood fell into gang life or dealt with teen pregnancy. The Boys & Girls Club became a place that she could escape and make friends with peers who shared similar goals. Despite seeing her friends succumb to distractions, Kimberly focused on her school work and will graduate as an AP scholar for her high marks on multiple Advanced Placement exams.

"The College Bound Program has provided me with the foundation and fundamentals I needed to go onto my dream college. The staff here are like family to me. - Kimberly

Joshua Villanueva attends our San Pedro Club and will graduate from San Pedro High School to attend San Jose State University in the fall. For Joshua, the Club has been like a second home for many years. He joined the College Bound program in 6th grade which helped him keep his grades up in middle school to take college ready classes in high school. Joshua's parents worked very hard to support their family and, as a result, were not very present at home. However, they did encourage him to participate in extracurricular activities and join Boys & Girls Club programs to stay on the right track. He will graduate with a San Pedro Pirate Boosters scholarship for his accomplishments as a student athlete on the basketball team.

“Honestly if I didn't have College Bound I would not be going to college. You guys made the process of picking schools easy and made my experience of high school more fun filled.” - Joshua