'Reaching Their Potential'See how the Don Moyer Boys & Girls Club inspires.
With Charles Burton (Unit Director) & Elizabeth Goldsmith-Conley (Reading Partners) "The Don Moyer Boys and Girls Club is a community where kids are provided a home away from home" - Alexa Redeker |
About the ClubThe Don Moyer Boys & Girls Club, located in Champaign, Illinois, is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping youth in the neighborhood that need it the most. This organization in Champaign is part of the larger Boys and Girls Clubs of America organization that runs afterschool programs for children in order to provide them with a safe and productive environment to learn and grow in. They aim to help children achieve academic success, character development, civic engagement, and adopt healthy lifestyles. This particular club was started in 1968 and continues to do amazing work with children in Champaign today. Clarence Thompson and Gene Sullivan worked together to build the Don Moyer Boys and Girls Club to be what it is today. The Club even assisted in the opening of new clubs in Danville and Bloomington-Normal in order to continue doing good work for children. The Boys and Girls Club in Champaign has a diverse population of children. 59.8% of members are male and 40.2% are female. The majority of the children are African American, but there are also Asian American, Hispanic, Caucasian, and Native American members. There is only a $20 yearly fee for children, but no child who cannot pay is ever turned away. The program runs every day after school and even in the summers, providing a variation of child-centered programs. The Don Moyer Boys and Girls Club is a diverse and welcoming club dedicated to providing a safe and encouraging environment for children. By encouraging regular attendance and self-expression, the Club is doing its best to push children to do their best.
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Reading Partners at Don Moyer
See how Katlynne Wood (Site Coordinator) feels about the connections made through Reading Partners at Don Moyer Boys & Girls Club.
Meet the Staff
Katlynne Wood
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Elizabeth Goldsmith-Conley
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Student Voices with Julia Rush
On Why She Returned to the Don Moyer Boys & Girls Club
At the beginning of Spring Semester, I was extremely excited to go back to the Boys and Girls Club. The previous semester, I had gotten the amazing opportunity of being partnered with two great students for the Reading Partners program. I could have gone to another site to expand my horizons, but the relationship I built with my two students was too strong to miss out on! Before leaving, one of my students kept talking about how much she’d miss me and reading with me. Hearing that gives you such a fantastic feeling!
When I was going back to the Boys and Girls Club, I hoped that I could continue to learn ways to motivate students and to help them learn as best as possible. Also, I was hoping that I would learn how to teach students in the best way, even within the confines of a program that requires certain procedures. Overall, I just wanted to enrich myself as a future educator in order to build on my knowledge so I could better teach my current and future students.
In terms of giving, I simply hoped that I could instill a love for reading in my two students. Reading has always been something I love, and I just hoped, and still hope, that my students view it not as a challenge, but as something fun that can benefit them. One of my students had started off hating reading so much that he would enter the homework room yelling about how much he hates to read. Watching him start to finally read after an entire semester was extremely exciting to see, and I was hoping to get back and help him read even more and maybe even start to enjoy it (and it turned out that he ended up graduating from the program halfway through the semester!).
Overall, I wished that I could contribute to the great work done at the Boys and Girls Club. It is a place that really cares about children and their personal growth, and it is so fantastic to be a part of that. I wished that my students and I form even stronger bonds and that they simply continued to learn and grow. Recently, I have been nervous about becoming a teacher because it is such a challenging job, but working at the Boys and Girls Club reminds me why I am on the path that I am on. Because of that, I am so thankful that I returned to the Club.
When I was going back to the Boys and Girls Club, I hoped that I could continue to learn ways to motivate students and to help them learn as best as possible. Also, I was hoping that I would learn how to teach students in the best way, even within the confines of a program that requires certain procedures. Overall, I just wanted to enrich myself as a future educator in order to build on my knowledge so I could better teach my current and future students.
In terms of giving, I simply hoped that I could instill a love for reading in my two students. Reading has always been something I love, and I just hoped, and still hope, that my students view it not as a challenge, but as something fun that can benefit them. One of my students had started off hating reading so much that he would enter the homework room yelling about how much he hates to read. Watching him start to finally read after an entire semester was extremely exciting to see, and I was hoping to get back and help him read even more and maybe even start to enjoy it (and it turned out that he ended up graduating from the program halfway through the semester!).
Overall, I wished that I could contribute to the great work done at the Boys and Girls Club. It is a place that really cares about children and their personal growth, and it is so fantastic to be a part of that. I wished that my students and I form even stronger bonds and that they simply continued to learn and grow. Recently, I have been nervous about becoming a teacher because it is such a challenging job, but working at the Boys and Girls Club reminds me why I am on the path that I am on. Because of that, I am so thankful that I returned to the Club.
"Day in the Life" of a Volunteer
Watch and read the accounts of university students that volunteer! You can get to know how to navigate to a site, what is expected of you at that site, and what challenges and teaching/learning opportunities you will have at your site.
A Tutor's Guide to Learning — Kim Guse
Getting ready to go to the Boys and Girls Club is always an adventure because it’s never the same trip. Sometimes, I take the same bus, but the people on the bus are always very, very different. Other times, I’m in a meeting until I have to leave for the Boys and Girls Club so I’m rushing across campus to catch the last available bus to get there on time. For example, last week, I was taking a well-deserved nap and missed my regular bus, the 12W Teal, to the Boys and Girls Club.
When I missed the bus, I found myself rushing across campus to get to Transit Plaza to catch the next bus, 1N Yellow. Other students were filing on as well, ready to head back to their apartments for the end of their day, but I was about to get to the most exciting part of my day.
The bus ride from Transit Plaza to the Boys and Girls Club really isn’t that long. I started to wonder if I should have just walked. But then I realized that I had missed my first bus because I was sleeping so taking the bus was probably the right decision for me on this particular day. On another warm day, I would definitely suggest walking to the Boys and Girls Club.
I got off of the bus and started walking towards the Boys and Girls Club and noticed that the grass around Boneyard Creek had turned from a murky yellow to a nice green and that got me really excited for spring. Next up on my trek to the Boys and Girls Club was crossing University Avenue. Normally, I wouldn’t advise jaywalking, but the road just outside of the Boys and Girls Club doesn’t have a crosswalk! So what’s a girl to do?! Actually, just down the street there is a crosswalk that I would definitely advise everyone to use. Don’t run across the street and panic when the food truck, Cracked, gets a little too close to you in the middle of the street! (This totally did not happen to me…)
After the adventure of crossing the street, I finally made it to the Boys and Girls Club. I walkd around the building and through the front doors. I always try to look through the windows to see if I can find my student playing in the main room, but I can never spot him. I made my way up the stairs and into the room where the Reading Partners Program is held.
The room for the Reading Partners is set up with tables and dividers for each student and their tutor. The students have their own boxes that the tutors pick up with all of the instructions for their lessons on that day. The wonderful Ms. Katlynne and Ms. Elizabeth organize and personalize each of the boxes for the students. When I got up to the Reading Partners room, I made sure that I was up to date with everything that I needed to do for my student. I got out the books that he had been reading and prepared the activities that he has assigned for that day. This is so crucial for my time with my student because I only get 45 minutes with him and if I am busy trying to reorganize his lesson plan or figure out what an activity includes, then I’m losing his learning time.
As soon as the clock hits 5 o’clock, the students started filing in, one by one, or all at once! Sometimes they are really excited to be there and other times not so much, but every time you have to be there to support them and make sure they feel welcomed.
If there’s one thing that I’ve learned the most from the Boys and Girls Club, it would be that I really value the importance of being accommodating. From my transportation to my lessons with my student, I never truly know what I’m going to get each time, but I know that I can think quick on my feet and make sure I’m engaging my student’s learning and in my own learning. Especially when I’m running across the street, trying not to get hit by a food truck!
When I missed the bus, I found myself rushing across campus to get to Transit Plaza to catch the next bus, 1N Yellow. Other students were filing on as well, ready to head back to their apartments for the end of their day, but I was about to get to the most exciting part of my day.
The bus ride from Transit Plaza to the Boys and Girls Club really isn’t that long. I started to wonder if I should have just walked. But then I realized that I had missed my first bus because I was sleeping so taking the bus was probably the right decision for me on this particular day. On another warm day, I would definitely suggest walking to the Boys and Girls Club.
I got off of the bus and started walking towards the Boys and Girls Club and noticed that the grass around Boneyard Creek had turned from a murky yellow to a nice green and that got me really excited for spring. Next up on my trek to the Boys and Girls Club was crossing University Avenue. Normally, I wouldn’t advise jaywalking, but the road just outside of the Boys and Girls Club doesn’t have a crosswalk! So what’s a girl to do?! Actually, just down the street there is a crosswalk that I would definitely advise everyone to use. Don’t run across the street and panic when the food truck, Cracked, gets a little too close to you in the middle of the street! (This totally did not happen to me…)
After the adventure of crossing the street, I finally made it to the Boys and Girls Club. I walkd around the building and through the front doors. I always try to look through the windows to see if I can find my student playing in the main room, but I can never spot him. I made my way up the stairs and into the room where the Reading Partners Program is held.
The room for the Reading Partners is set up with tables and dividers for each student and their tutor. The students have their own boxes that the tutors pick up with all of the instructions for their lessons on that day. The wonderful Ms. Katlynne and Ms. Elizabeth organize and personalize each of the boxes for the students. When I got up to the Reading Partners room, I made sure that I was up to date with everything that I needed to do for my student. I got out the books that he had been reading and prepared the activities that he has assigned for that day. This is so crucial for my time with my student because I only get 45 minutes with him and if I am busy trying to reorganize his lesson plan or figure out what an activity includes, then I’m losing his learning time.
As soon as the clock hits 5 o’clock, the students started filing in, one by one, or all at once! Sometimes they are really excited to be there and other times not so much, but every time you have to be there to support them and make sure they feel welcomed.
If there’s one thing that I’ve learned the most from the Boys and Girls Club, it would be that I really value the importance of being accommodating. From my transportation to my lessons with my student, I never truly know what I’m going to get each time, but I know that I can think quick on my feet and make sure I’m engaging my student’s learning and in my own learning. Especially when I’m running across the street, trying not to get hit by a food truck!
Sneak Peak into the Club with Claire Yerkey
In this video, I will show how I get to the Boys and Girls Club, what work I do while I volunteer, and discuss the overall benefits of volunteering there.
Dancing at Don Moyer with Alexa Redeker
This is what the regular day is like for me while I tutor every Monday. Hope you enjoy!
Hello, my name is Alexa Redeker and I am a Freshman Elementary Education student here at the University of Illinois. I was placed at the Don Moyer Boys and Girls Club for my community placement for EDUC 201, and I wanted to continue to tutor there even after that class was finished. I am a reading tutor through their Reading Partners program. During first semester, I worked with two boys, one in 3rd grade and the other in 4th. The first student, Nysire, the 3rd grader, was only about a year below the reading level he should be at. I saw significant improvement in Nysire’s reading, comprehension, and most importantly his confidence. My second student that I tutored, Montrell, who is pictured in my video, was multiple years behind the regular 4th grade reading level.
After I finished my first semester of tutoring, I realized that I didn’t want my time at this establishment to be over. I had grown close to so many individuals at the Club and I did not want to leave Montrell or Nysire. I wanted to be able to continue working with them and helping them to improve their reading skills. After deciding to go back and enrolling in EPS 199, my first day, after winter break back, at the Club was a bit of a change. I found out that Nysire had graduated from the program! Nysire had reached his grade’s regular reading level and he did not need to be in the program anymore, which made me feel so happy that I was able to help him achieve that. As for Montrell, he was still in the Reading Partners program and I was really happy to see him.
After I finished my first semester of tutoring, I realized that I didn’t want my time at this establishment to be over. I had grown close to so many individuals at the Club and I did not want to leave Montrell or Nysire. I wanted to be able to continue working with them and helping them to improve their reading skills. After deciding to go back and enrolling in EPS 199, my first day, after winter break back, at the Club was a bit of a change. I found out that Nysire had graduated from the program! Nysire had reached his grade’s regular reading level and he did not need to be in the program anymore, which made me feel so happy that I was able to help him achieve that. As for Montrell, he was still in the Reading Partners program and I was really happy to see him.
Navigating the Bus System
Learn how to travel smoothly to your site using MTD. Here are some popular routes to the Don Moyer Boys & Girls Club:
Information
Don Moyer Boys & Girls Club
201 E. Park Street Champaign, IL 61820 www.dmbgc.org Phone: (217) - 355 - 5437 Reading Partners Monday — Thursday 5:00 p.m. — 6:00 p.m./7:00 p.m. To enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens. - from Don Moyer's Mission Statement |