Barefoot Kids Foundation and Nike Inc. have teamed up to provide athletic footwear to Kids in need. The Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater San Diego has received over 650 pairs of soccer, basketball and running shoes. The shoes are going to children in the Boys & Girls Clubs sports programs who would not be able to afford quality athletic shoes on their own. The shoes are being distributed between the seventeen sites with in the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater San Diego, including their five school sites in Escondido.

Barefoot Kids Foundation is a non-profit organization that exclusively provides new footwear to Kids in need through their national distribution network. For more information please visit, www.barefootkids.org

The Boys & Girls Club offers life changing and innovative programs to club members. Triple Play, a unique program, focuses on the development of healthy habits and good choices at a young age. It also gets children moving and thinking about health and fitness and to achieve this, the program has been broken down into three components; mind, body and soul.

Five club sites have been funded by Boys & Girls Clubs of America, receiving $75,000 through a grant, to conduct Triple Play. These include, the Clairemont, Ron Roberts, Ramona, Baker and Mitchell Branches. In addition to daily classes and activities, some special events related to the program have taken place, including our annual Summer Games, where 275 members from all our sites participated in a fun filled day of friendly sports activities and a health fair sponsored by our Junior League at Clairemont, which gave 100 youth an opportunity to participate in health education. Triple Play has served as an excellent way to structure health and physical education into our clubs and for our members.

For more information regarding Triple Play, please contact Michelle Malin, Vice President, Operations or Kay Brand, Grant Writer/Contract Manager, at 1-866-SDYOUTH.

Sports programs at the Boys & Girls Clubs are one of our main ways to keep children involved. X-Track sports, which is a sports league for our middle school sites, was created last March to boost attendance for the X-Track program. Normally, the club would charge a fee for a club membership and to play for a six week season. However, in this program, if a student at one of the five middle schools we serve chooses to attend the X-Track program three days a week for one hour a day, he/she can play any sport for FREE! The Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater San Diego is the only organization in the city offering free sports.

There are five different sports offered for members to play: football, basketball, volleyball, soccer, indoor soccer and dodgeball. All sports are offered with brand new equipment, facilities to play in and full uniforms. David Luevanos, Sports Coordinator for the Boys & Girls Clubs, says “Participating in the sports program is a great way for middle school aged kids to stay active and healthy, develop relationships with other members and teach them the importance of teamwork.” In the last year, X-Track sports has seen over 1,400 children participate. For more information regarding the X-Track sports, please contact David Luevanos, Sports Coordinator at 1-866-SDYOUTH.

On Friday, March 21st, The Encanto Boys & Girls Club hosted the 10th Annual "You Go Girl" track meet. For a decade, the Boys and Girls Club of Greater San Diego has been inspiring girls of all ages to pursue athletic dreams in track and field events. The afternoon was filled with excitement as over 40 girls from 5 different Boys and Girls Clubs met to compete in various track and field events.

"Our goal is to inspire girls to be athletes. We want every girl to realize their potential and understand the benefits of a healthy lifestyle" said Laura Smith, Area Director. All 40 girls competed in track and field events including: 55 Meter Dash, 400 Meter Run, Long Jump & Shot Putt. The event ended with a team relay race for a club trophy.

"This event is awesome! Girls from Escondido to Encanto get together, compete and have fun." said Connie Alvarez, Site Supervisor.

At the end of the competition, all girls received a healthy lunch, a running goodie bag & medals for their participation. This event was free to all Boys & Girls Club members.

Press the "play" button to see event slide show.

Ever since Joshua Thomas, who is 12 years old, has been living in San Diego and attending the Clairemont Branch of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater San Diego, life has taken a turn for the better. Joshua and his mom Carmen moved to San Diego from Florida, to experience new and healthy lives. Josh attended a Boys & Girls Club in Florida and after moving to San Diego they were looking for a similar and better situation for Josh to be a part of after school. Living close to the Clairemont Club, Josh began attending and fell in love with the Club. For both Josh and Carmen, it was a Boys & Girls Club like they had never experienced.

“I can’t say enough about how well the Club is run. It has taken a load off me as a single parent, knowing that I do not have to worry about Josh and where he is after school,” explained Carmen. As a result of attending the Boys & Girls Clubs and quickly becoming comfortable with his environment, Josh has learned the important characteristics of responsibility and accountability.

Being presented with opportunities that he might not normally have, if not at the Club, Josh has grown into an outgoing, helpful boy. Josh attended Leadership Camp, in February and is currently involved in the Junior Leaders Program. He enjoys helping younger children with their homework, doing arts and crafts and dancing the hula! He has also developed strong and healthy bonds with the staff at the Club, who will forever have made a positive mark on Josh’s life.

NFL referee Mike Carey is respected throughout the league for his professionalism, preparation and sense of fair play - values made real at the William J. Oakes Boys Club, which he joined at the age of eight. Beginning his officiating career with Pop Warner games in 1972, Mike was hired by the NFL in 1990. In 2008, he was selected to officiate Super Bowl XLII, becoming the first African-American Super Bowl referee. In addition to his NFL career, Mike co-owns Seirus Innovation, a snow sports accessories company he founded with his wife Wendy, in 1979.

This year's slate of 11 inductees honored during BGCA's 102nd Annual National Conference reads like a veritable Who's Who in America with a big city mayor, sports superstars, military heroes, an award-winning architect and an advertising guru. The common denominator they all share - the positive influence of a Boys & Girls Club and their respective contributions to society as adult professionals.

"We are extremely proud of our alumni who have gone on to achieve great things," said Roxanne Spillett, president and CEO of BGCA. "Their stories are very different, but all start out the same - with life-changing programs, caring and attentive staff, and the fun and safety of a local Boys & Girls Club."

"This year's class of inductees represents the power and impact a Club has not only on character and development, but also on civic engagement," continued Spillett. "The 2008 inductees, as well as the other Alumni Hall of Fame members, are living proof that Boys & Girls Clubs impact young lives every day."

Other distinguished members of BGCA's Alumni Hall of Fame include actor Denzel Washington, entertainer Jennifer Lopez, former NBA superstar Michael Jordan, WNBA standout Swin Cash, Olympic swimming champion Brooke Bennett, and Gen. Wesley Clark, former NATO supreme allied commander.