News
First Lady Anna Stein Visits Club
Boys & Girls Clubs of Wake & Johnston Counties was pleased to have NC First Lady Anna Stein visit a Club during their summer program. She learned about Clubs investment in mental health supports, life & workforce readiness opportunities, and how Clubs support kids and families throughout the state.
Representative Cook Visits Club
Representative Amanda Cook visited Boys & Girls Clubs of the Greater Triad in High Point on May 15. Through the tour and meeting, she learned more about the Club’s programs and how mentors create long-term impact for youth and enable their parents to fully engage in the workforce.
Club Advocates Meet with Members of NC General Assembly
On May 12, Club professionals, volunteer leaders, and Club members from across the state gathered in Raleigh to meet with Representatives and Senators during our Advocacy Day. Club leaders shared our scope and breadth of programming, the three pillars of our new state strategic plan, and our mission of positive youth development. We encouraged our elected officials to partner with us as we implement our new state strategic plan, particularly as it relates to life & workforce readiness, ensuring young people have the skills, knowledge, exploration opportunities, and foundation to graduate high school with a plan for their future.
North Carolina Youth of the Year
Congratulations to Tristen M., from Boys & Girls Clubs of the Sandhills, who was named 2026 North Carolina Youth of the Year at an April competition in Charlotte. Congratulations to Sophia S., from Ft. Bragg Youth Services, who was named 2026 North Carolina Military Youth of the Year at the same competition. Tristen and Sophia will compete to become against state winners in the region to be named Southeast Regional Youth of the Year in June. Since the national recognition program began in 1947, being named Youth of the Year is the most prestigious title a Club member can hold. The competition is based on interviews, public speaking, and essays, and scholarships are available for winners at each level, local, state, regional, and national. Youth of the Year spend their tenure as role models and spokespersons for Boys & Girls Clubs.
Teen STEAM Summit
We held our 7th Annual Teen STEAM Summit on April 17-18 in Raleigh. Club teens from across the state participated in 24-hours of hands-on, minds-on learning opportunities while having fun interacting with their peers and STEAM professionals. The event would not be possible without General Motors’ financial support and the programmatic support of LS3P, the NC Museum of Natural Sciences, NCSU’s College of Engineering, and The Engineering Place. We are pleased that this year’s event was an official event of the North Carolina Science Festival.
Boys & Girls Clubs Week of the Governor’s Page Program
Ten Boys & Girls Club teens from across the state spent the week in Raleigh as part of the Governor’s Page Program. They viewed important documents in the State Archives, spoke with the Governor, judges, policy experts, and public servants across several departments. The week culminated in each Page presenting their own policy proposals to a panel.
Mental Health Supports in Boys & Girls Clubs
Impact Initiative sponsored a webinar exclusively featuring Boys & Girls Clubs and their role in supporting youth mental health throughout the state. NC Alliance of Boys & Girls Clubs Director, Heather Brosz White, was joined by Madison Reed (MSW) from Boys & Girls Clubs of Wake & Johnston Counties and Kyler Daniels (LCSWA) of Boys & Girls Clubs of the Tar River Region to talk about how Clubs build protective factors and prosocial behavior, and are expanding their services to best meet the needs of young people.
Senator Overcash Visits Club
Senator Brad Overcash visited Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Gaston in Gastonia on a busy day in March. Through the tour and meeting, he learned more about the Club’s programs and mentors create long-term impact for youth and enable their parents to fully engage in the workforce.
NC Club Leaders Visit Capitol Hill
Eight Club leaders from North Carolina were among more than 300 from across the country who traveled to DC in February. They met with members of Congress and their staff to advocate for federal investments in afterschool programs, and share the impact of local Clubs on youth, families, and communities.
NC Club Leaders Establish New Plan for Collective Impact
Throughout 2025, Club CEOs and Board members met in-person and virtually to develop a new state strategic plan to maximize their collective impact. The shared priorities, finalized in February, are: 1) Develop Life & Workforce Readiness Programs and Opportunities for Youth to ensure they are work and life ready, 2) Expand Access to Clubs, and 3) Advance Program Quality. These focus areas will ensure that more kids and teens across the state are Future Ready with essential skills.
NC Alliance Director Panelist at Governor’s Task Force
Heather Brosz White, Director, was an invited panelist addressing the NC Task Force on Child Care and Early Education in December. The Task Force’s focus for the meeting was on afterschool programs and their role in youth development and in parents’ ability to fully engage in the workforce. The panelist's testimony was incorporated into the Task Force’s year-end report and recommendations to make child care accessible and affordable across the state.