Boys & Girls Club Blog

July 20, 2023

On July 18, the Boys & Girls Club held its 13th annual Afternoon Tea event at The Gibson Social Club. The tea event is part of the Character & Empowerment program designed for the young ladies of the Club, ages 7-10.

Every summer, about 60 Club girls join the program and attend six classes taught by friends of the Club to build positive character and leadership skills. This year’s classes focused on giving back, wellness, self-love, healthy relationships, leadership and persistence and more.

The Afternoon Tea event, presented by Kimberly-Clark Foundation, was the final celebration of the program. Club girls and women in our community came together to sip tea, enjoy a light lunch, get to know each other, and celebrate the girls’ completion of the classes. The girls got to feel extra special by picking out a brand-new sundress and flip-flops and getting their hair styled.

The event featured a positive and inspiring message from speaker, Allison Garner. Allison is a certified professional coach, published author and owner of Thoughtly. Allison supports individuals to move towards their visions, and overcome the impossible. She drove that message home when she spoke to the room about knowing “who they are” and being aware of obstacles that hinder their true selves. Club girls shared some words that describe them with the audience. Words like powerful, kind, beautiful were heard throughout the room. The Club’s 2023 Youth of the Year, Savana, also spoke and shared how the Boys & Girls Club has changed her life.

Thank you to Presenting Sponsor Kimberly-Clark, speaker Allison Garner, and all our Afternoon Tea Sponsors, guest and volunteers who made this event extra special!

Leader/Presenting Sponsor: Kimberly-Clark Foundation; Dreamer Sponsor: Helaine Lasky; Empower Sponsor: Oshkosh Corporation; Speaker Sponsor: Silver Star Brands; Sun Dress Sponsors: Old National Bank and Oshkosh Area Women’s Association, Inc.; Flip Flop Sponsors: Bob & Sidonia Burnell, Fox River Valley Ethanol and Home Care Assistance; Class Sponsors: Kaldas Center, Darren & Kathy Lett, Julie Conrad-Peters and Wells Fargo; Venue Sponsor: The Gibson Social Club; and Lunch Sponsor: Becket’s. Thank you to those that ran Character & Empowerment Classes this summer: Christine Ann Domestic Abuse Services, Kimberly-Clark, Oshkosh Community YMCA, Oshkosh Service League and Oshkosh Corporation. Thank you to all the stylists who donated their time: Tina Cook, McKenzie Pence and Jackie Wilson from Cost Cutters Appleton; Jennie Spanbauer and Kim Wallace from Starstruck Artistry; Lorra Carlson, Abbey Hall, Alex Her, Wendy Justman and Brittany Procter from Studio R. Thank you to Marco Promos and Faris Popcorn for the extra special gifts.

We are excited to enter the 14th year of this program in 2024. Our founding sponsor and Club friend Helaine Lasky has made this program possible for all these years for the over 500 girls we have helped become confident, wonderful young ladies.

If you are interested in finding out more about how you can get involved in next year’s Character, Empowerment & Afternoon Tea program, please contact CEO Tracy Ogden at 920-233-1414, ext. 116 or tracyo@bgcosh.org. Learn more on our website at bgcosh.org/afternoon-tea.

See more photos from Afternoon Tea on our Facebook page!