Shelby Espinosa

Dr. Sci
COM250
24 October 2015
Informative Speech
Boys and Girls Club of Metro Denver
Topic: Boys and Girls ClubVickers Location
General Purpose: To inform
Specific Purpose: To inform my audience about the local Boys and Girls Club
Thesis: After my wonderful experience there, and realizing how much this particular
Boys and Girls Club helps the local Denver kids, it made me realize how important Boys
and Girls clubs are to communities and how many of them are in need of our help.
Introduction
I.
Helen Keller once said, Alone we can do so little; Together we can do so much.
So that is probably why every sports team here at Regis is required to do some type of
community service.
A.
For womens basketball, it happens to be volunteering at the Vickers Boys
and Girls Club just a few miles from campus.
1.
At first, I wasnt too sure how I felt about volunteering there.
2.
I knew it involved being around A LOT of kids, and I knew how
overwhelming that could be.
II.
After my wonderful experience there, and realizing how much this particular
Boys and Girls Club helps the local Denver kids, it made me realize how important Boys
and Girls clubs are to communities and how many of them are in need of our help.
III.
From volunteering there and realizing first hand, and from the further research
Ive done on the Boys and Girls Clubs, I am now fully aware of all that the club does for
the kids in the community.
IV.
I hope that I can encourage you to get involved at the Vickers Location Boys and
Girls Club so the kids there can have some of the same opportunities that you and I have
and had as kids.
V.
Let me first start by explaining a little history of the Boys and Girls Club
Organization, and then Ill move specifically to the Vickers Boys and Girls Club,
describing my experience and what it is like in the Denver area. And hopefully, I can
inform you on what you can do for the Vickers Club or any Denver area Boys and Girls
Club!
Body
I
If you explore the official Boys and Girls Club website at bgca.org, youll get a
bunch of information and earn a better understanding of the history, but Ill inform you
on a little bit of it right now.
A
Believing that boys who roamed the streets of Connecticut should have a
more positive alternative, Mary Goodwin, Alice Goodwin, and Elizabeth
Hammersley organized the first club in 1860.

1
In 1990, the organization decided it was important to include girls
in to the mix, and officially changed the name to the Boys and Girls Club.
B
Today the Boys and Girls Club serves the youth and communities in more
than 4,100 Club locations, serving over 4 million children annually.
1
On their website you can also find the clubs mission statement is:
To enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach
their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens.
2
With this statement in mind, the Boys and Girls Club instills a
sense of competence, usefulness, belonging and influence to the kids that
attend.
3
Here are a few dominating statistics about the club from
America.cry.org:
a
Every day, 1 in 4 kids leave school with nowhere to go, this
is where the club comes into the mix.
b
97% of Club teens are expected to graduate high school.
c
57% of alumni said the Club saved their lives
[I bet you didnt know that there is a Boys and Girls Club less than five miles away from
Regis!]
II
Located right off Holly Street, the Jack A. Vickers Boys and Girls Club serves
hundreds of local Denver kids every day.
A
Visiting their website at bgcmd.org, it tells you the club opened in the late
summer of 2013 and serves about 250 local Denver kids a day.
1
Vickers, along with most other Boys and Girls Clubs, is available
to kids ages 6-18, with just a $2 annual membership fee, and typically
stays open until 9 pm, giving the members and safe and secure place to
stay after dark.
B
The Vickers location is operated under Director Victor Torrez, whom I got
the chance to ask a few questions.
1
As a previous principal and program director, Victor Torrez was
hired to open and run the Vickers location, making him the branch or Site
Director which means he oversees the operations, programming, and staff
of the Vickers BGC facility.
2
In my interview, Mr. Torrez explained to me that, The most
beneficial thing a Club does is work with kids in the crucial after school
hours when kids have nothing to do or are getting into trouble. By offering
programs after school, we are engaging them in more learning
opportunities beyond school.
3
He also told me that the kids who typically join the Club are kids
who's parents have no where else to take their kids while theyre working.
We have many kids, he states, who start out coming to the Club that
way and once engaged in programming, they start coming because they
like what we do and what we have to offer. He adds, I believe BGC
impacts the kids in the areas of behavior, character, and academic growth.
A lot of our parents and teachers say that the kids going to the Club
improve in their behavior and character at home and school.

[Like I said earlier, my team and I got to experience Vickers Boys and Girls Club of
Denver first hand and it was an amazing experience. Here are a few pictures from our
time there.]
III
Personally, I was so moved by not only the Vickers Staff for the time, effort, and
dedication to the club and the kids, but I was most notably moved by the opportunities
the members received because of that.
A
I, along with a few other teammates, worked in the kitchen, serving the
members a hot meal.
1
I later found out that for most of the kids there, this meal was
crucial as they either didnt have the means at home to have a dinner or
their parents didnt have the time to cook something.
Conclusion
IV
As I said, before volunteering a couple weeks ago, I had never set foot in a Boys
and Girls Club. And I can almost bet you havent either.
A
But I hope after hearing the good and beneficial things the Boys and Girls
Club Organization does for children across America, youll schedule in some time
to check out a BGC in the Denver area.
1
The clubs keep children out of danger and trouble by providing
safe after school programs.
2
Not only does it help of kids, but it also helps their parents, giving
them peace of mind that their child is safe while they are unable to care for
them.
B
Vickers Boys and Girls Club of Denver is less than 10 minutes from
campus and I can attest to the good they do there.
1
But unfortunately, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver
depend on contributions from our community to provide after school
activities and facilities for thousands of young people in the Denver Metro
area. They cant do it on their own.
C
The club appreciates a donation of any figure and it costs zero dollars to
volunteer your time.
1
So I hope next time when youre deciding on how to give back to
the community you give Boys and Girls Club a chance!
Works Cited
"BOYS AND GIRLS OF AMERICA." CRY America. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Oct. 2015.
"Boys & Girls Clubs of America Works Hard Every Day to Make a Difference in the
Lives of Youth in Communities All over the World." Boys & Girls Clubs of
America. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Oct. 2015.
Torrez, Victor. Personal E-mail interview. 19 Oct. 2015.
"Vickers Boys & Girls Clubs at the Nancy P. Anschutz Center." Boys Girls Clubs of

Metro Denver. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Oct. 2015.