Borders teams up with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater San Diego to promote literacy and give books to children in need throughout the San Diego area by hosting a month-long book drive. Pictured to left are Club members at the Borders in Carmel Mountain. The Padres friar and a "Pad Squad" member attended the event and read to our Club members.

Customers in San Diego, Carlsbad and El Cajon can donate new children and young adult books to benefit the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater San Diego and the children they serve. To assist customers with finding the right books to donate, Borders and Waldenbooks, with the help of the Boys & Girls Clubs, will select and design in-store displays full of children's books, such as books written by Dr. Seuss, Shel Silverstein and Beverly Cleary, from which customers can choose. Customers can simply pick books from the book drive display, take them to the registers and let the cashier know that they would like to donate them. Customers are also welcome to choose their favorite age appropriate children or young adult book and donate that as well. Borders and Waldenbooks will then give the books to the Boys & Girls Clubs. The book drive is set to end August 31.

In addition to offering its store as a gathering place for customer donations, Borders and Waldenbooks in the San Diego area will donate five percent of its total sales from the purchase of the books donated by its customers between August 1 and August 31 to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater San Diego. The Club will then use these funds to support reading and education programs.

"We are very excited to work with the Boys & Girls Clubs for this book drive," said Beth O'Connor, sales and marketing manager for Borders and Waldenbooks. "Literacy is a cause near and dear to us and as a bookstore, we embrace our role as a contributing member of the community. We believe that every child in need should experience the joy of owning their own book, to aid in the development of their imagination and open up new worlds for them." "As part of this community, we want to do what we can to make sure that the children in this area have the tools necessary to shape and define their lives and to help guide them when deciding whom they aspire to be. We feel that reading books certainly helps with this," O'Connor added.

"Partnering with Borders and Waldenbooks is a great opportunity for the Club. As everyone knows, reading is a fundamental skill for academic success. The key to getting kids to read more is to provide them with books that are fun and interesting to them. This book drive will certainly do that. We are very excited that we were chosen as the recipients of this drive," said Michelle Malin, Vice President of Operations for the Boys & Girls Clubs.

Beginning August 13 through September 2, 2007 all 48 San Diego-area Taco Bell restaurants will participate in a "Tacos for Teens" fundraiser to benefit local Boys & Girls Clubs. Attendees of the last conference (held in January) are pictured to the left.

Throughout the three-week fundraiser, restaurants will ask customers to donate $1 in exchange for a free crunchy beef taco, with the goal of raising $20,000 for the Taco Bell Teen Leadership Camp this winter.

One of core values of the Boys & Girls Club is to improve the lives of young people and help them develop into successful adults. Last year 124 middle school age club members had the opportunity to participate in the Taco Bell Leadership Conference at Camp Cedar Glen in Julian.

All Boys & Girls Clubs in San Diego are invited to attend the conference and all sites with Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater San Diego sent members. The conference is made possible by the generosity of San Diego Taco Bell's who has generously sponsored the two-day conference for the past several years.

Through the generosity of CSK Auto Inc. and Kragen Auto Parts, The Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater San Diego have been the well-deserved recipients of a brand new fourteen passenger, state-or-the art van. This new van was donated through a partnership with Boys & Girls Clubs of America and CSK Auto Inc., which Kragen Auto Pans is division of, to be used to transport club members from school to the Mitchell and Baker Branches of Escondido. This new addition will make it easier for the hard-working staff of the transportation system to safely and efficiently move more children from school to the clubs.

The Boys & Girls Club's transportation system has been a long standing program which has provided a safe and valuable resource for children and parents of our sites. Multiple busses and vans make their way around forty school sites and transport around five hundred children a day throughout San Diego County. Knowing that these children are making their way safely to a positive environment is a priceless commodity to parents.

Kay Brand, an employee of the Boys & Girls Club and grandparent of a club member, states, "I have total peace of mind knowing my child is being safely transported to a positive environment after school. It is a weight lifted off my shoulders knowing I don't have to worry." This is the reason the program is so tremendously valuable. For more information about the transportation system please contact Property Manager, Scott Lamb, at 1-866-SDYOUTH

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater San Diego announces the sponsorship of the Summer Food Service Program. The program will operate from June 20th to August 31st at all of our San Diego locations. The program will run from June 21st to August 24th at our Escondido locations. Free meals will be made available to all attending children under 19 years of age without regard to race, color, national origin, sex or disability. Any person who believes that he or she has been discriminated against should write immediately to the Secretary of Agriculture in Washington D.C. Also, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater San Diego offer a variety of daily youth development programs and activities.

Lunch and afternoon snacks will be provided at the locations listed below, Monday through Friday:

Logan Heights Branch (William J. Oakes Branch), 2930 Marcy Avenue, San Diego, CA 92113, (619) 525-1739, Lunch: 12:00-1:00 p.m., Snack: 4:00-4:30 p.m.

Linda Vista Branch, 2230 East Jewett Street, San Diego, CA 92111, (858) 277-6670, Lunch: 12:00-1:00 p.m., Snack: 3:30-4:00 p.m.

Clairemont Branch, 4635 Clairemont Mesa Blvd., San Diego, CA 92117, (858) 273-1645, Lunch: 12:00-1:00 p.m., Snack: 4:00-4:30 p.m.

Encanto Branch, 6785 Imperial Avenue, San Diego, CA 92114, (619) 263-6407 Lunch: 12:00-1:00 p.m., Snack: 4:00-4:30 p.m.

Mitchell Branch, 115 W. Woodward Avenue, Escondido, CA 92025, (760) 746-3315, Lunch: 12:00-1:00 p.m., Snack: 3:00-3:30 p.m.

Baker Branch, 835 West 15th Avenue, Escondido, CA 92025, (760) 745-0515, Lunch: 12:00-1:00 p.m., Snack: 3:00-3:30 p.m. (no lunch served on Thursdays)


Afternoon snacks will be provided at the location listed below, Monday through Friday:

Ramona Branch, 622 E Street, Ramona, CA 92065, (760) 788-7564, Snack: 3:00-3:30 p.m.


The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the California Department of Education's Nutrition Services (NSD) prohibit discrimination in all their programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age or disability.

To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326 W, Whitten Building, 14th and Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 or call (202) 720-5964 (voice and TDD). The USDA and the NSD are equal opportunity providers and employers.

Our four metro sites participated in the 9th annual "You Go Girl" track meet on April 4 at the Encanto Branch. Eight members from each club participated in five track and field events. Medals were awarded for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place for each event in each age group. After the event the girls were treated to a healthy lunch and Area Director Laura Smith spoke to the girls abut the importance of staying active and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

Donors of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater San Diego gathered together on March 19, at Vincent's Sirinos to celebrate and recognize those who have made the commitment to be a Kid For Life. Guests were treated to a five course dinner and wine pairings provided by Vincent's Sirinos and guest speakers whom have already made the choice to become a Kid For Life.

The Kid For Life Endowment Program is an opportunity for those who have a connection to the Boys & Girls Clubs to continue that connection today and for generations to come through gifts of bequests, retirement plans, real estate property or stocks and bonds. This kind of gift will remain intact and the interest of your investment will make an immediate impact while ensuring the needs of generations to come.

For more information regarding becoming a Kid for Life, please contact Jeff Miller, Senior Vice President/CAO, 1-866-SDYOUTH (1-866-739-6884).

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater San Diego has been a place where many children have had the opportunity to be around positive influence and learn so much about who they are; this was true for Mitchell Branch member, Marie. When Marie first started attending the Boys & Girls Clubs, she was very shy and had problems communicating with staff members of the club. There were definitely challenges in Marie's live, but with the help of the Boys & Girls Clubs, she made great strides both socially and academically. Her family stated that enrolling Marie into an environment like the Boys & Girls Clubs would be great for her development.

After noticing improvement in her academics and communication skills, Marie's mother and teachers attributed the growth to her time at the club and her interaction with other children. Marie's mother said that the best thing about the club was that the staff and the other children treat Marie like everybody else and not someone who is different or challenged. Now Marie takes every opportunity to participate in club activities. She plays basketball and indoor soccer, likes the club movie night and has enrolled in the club's dance program. Marie loves spending 100% of her free time at the club and has developed wonder relationships with many of the staff and can't wait to return to the club each and every day.