For those looking to ease the guilt between Halloween candy and Thanksgiving feasts, the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Midlands’ 2010 Turkey Day 5K & Family Fun Run has been scheduled to take place on Thankgiving Day this year. The Turkey Day 5K, now in its sixth year, is a 3.1 mile run through downtown Columbia. The Family Fun Run gives boys and girls of the mid-lands the opportunity to train for and participate in this special event too. Absolute Total Care and Time Warner Cable are the presenting corporate sponsors for the event. This is the sixth year for the annual trot through down-town Columbia, and Ken Martin, BGCM Vice President of Communications and Resource Development, hopes to attract a record 1,000 runners this year. Some 800 runners signed up in 2009, and the race has grown every year. The run is set for Thursday, Nov. 25 at 9 a.m. and kicks off at the Colonial Life Arena, 801 Lincoln Street. Registration for the 5K can be completed online for $20 and will include a T-shirt, while supplies last. Registrations for the 5K can be mailed in for a total fee of $25 and will also include a free T-shirt, while supplies last. All BGCM members are encouraged to participate in the Family Fun Run and will receive free registration. Turkey Day 5K proceeds directly benefit the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Midlands through scholarship contri-butions and program supplies at each of its 32 locations.

Family and friends are encouraged to come run, walk, support and/or cheer on all the runners. All races will begin and end at Colonial Life Arena. The 5K course, which is USA Track & Field Certified, will take runners and walkers through downtown Columbia and the USC Horseshoe, where participants will enjoy views of the heart of Columbia. Volunteers from BGCM, as well as other Turkey Day 5K Sponsors, will be located throughout the course with refreshments and signs to guide all runners. For more information, including sponsorship oppor-tunities, divisions and course description, and critical updates, please visit www. bgcmidlands.org.

THE TIMESOCTOBER 2010www.BGCmidlands.org

Welcome Blaney Elementary and Stover Middle Schools to our BE GREAT Academy family! We are happy to now serve the children of Kershaw County. Mitzi Farmer will serve as Campus Director at Blaney Elementary, located at 1621 Smyrna Rd. Tiffani Roberts has been selected as BGCM Campus Director for Stover Middle School, lo-cated at 1649 Smyrna Rd.

SOMETHING GREAT IS HAPPENING IN ELGIN

SEPTEMBER 2010YOUTH’S OF THE MONTHBen Arnold: Miya BligenBlaney: Deanna WingardBlythewood Middle: Alicia ParsonBridge Creek: Jazmine Baker Dent Middle: Sylvia WestonFairfield Magnet: Adam GonzalezGeiger: Alexis BeltonGreenview: Orion CookHarbison West: Dylan ReillyKeels: Shomari Smith Kelly Mill: Stephen Johnson Killian: Brooklynn CavittLake Carolina: M’chaelah BrownLake Murray 5: Samantha RobinsonLake Murray 1: Vincenza Massinello Leaphart: Ehrial WagstaffLongleaf Middle: Tyler Aiken McCrorey-Liston: Tyquan GladneyMill Creek: Anala NelsonNew Providence: Olivia Harris Oak Grove: Kevin “Carson” JowersRice Creek: Elizabeth InfanteRocky Creek: Kevin SmoakRound Top: Katelyn WadenSaxe Gotha: David Kinard, Jr.Seven Oaks: Janeria Latimer St. Andrews: Ashante GloverStover: Antonio LewisVillage: Imani BlackwellWatkins-Nance: Alyssa SamuelsWhite Knoll: Alessi KellyWindsor: Gabrielle Mason

TURKEY DAY 5K & FAMILY FUN RUN

NOVEMBER 13 FLAG FOOTBALL Tournament NOVEMBER 25 Turkey Day Race / Family Fun Run DECEMBER 7 Chick-Fil-A Spirit Night Fundraiser

SAVE THE DATE:

Don’t Forget to Register Today for the Turkey Day 5K!

READY TO RACE!

THURSDAY, NOV 25

COLONIAL LIFE ARENA

RACE STARTS @ 9am!

500 Gracern RdColumbia, SC 29210

(803) 231-3300www.BGCmidlands.org

Right: Congratulations to Elizabeth Infante of Rice Creek Elementary for designing the win-ning Turkey Day 5K race patch. Infante was chosen from over 1,000 entries. GREAT JOB!

Some adults would never be-lieve the excitement, energy, creativity and commitment that young people show when

talking about leadership at the Be Great Academy. Jr. Torch Club and Torch Club members are rushing to join this fun and exciting club. We currently have six Torch Clubs with a total of 88 club members and 19 Jr. Torch Clubs with a total of 208 club members. Clubs have just finished electing their officers and they are now getting down to business! Community Service projects are in the works. Some examples are: Ben Arnold’s Butterfly Garden and Lake Murray 5 walking for Cancer Awareness. Fundraising opportuni-ties are also in the works with Club canteens. These young leaders and their club advisors are work-ing hard every day to make a difference at their cam-pus, their school and their communities. The work that they do will help to inspire and motivate others to do the same. Keep your eyes open for the amazing contri-butions that these young people are going to provide to our communities in the Midlands. Jr. Torch Club and Torch Club….It is all about making a difference and inspiring others to do the same!

OCTOBER 2010 Boys & Girls Clubs of the Midlands http://www.bgcmidlands.org

B-I-N-G-O at Oak Grove

Ryan Barnes, Kaitlyn Butler, Justin Mims, Kiersten Roberts, Zachary Reinhart, Carson Jowers, Adrian Peguese (Program Director) Jakqulyn Williams (Program Instructor.)

Lorenzo Davidson is cutting a chicken breast into cubes. The BGCM Kelly Mill cooking club made Big Daddy Johnson’s chicken alfredo with fettucine. BGCM members studied the origin of alfredo sauce and how to cook perfect pasta.

LAKE MURRAY 1 & ROCKY CREEK

lead the way with $150 raised!

TOTAL: $460

For the second year in a row, Frankie’s Fun Park in Harbison has decided to support our Youth of the Month program with $10 game cards for each of our 33 winners each month!

FLAGFOOTBALL!

Mark your calendars: Saturday, November 13th from 9-4 at Memo-rial Stadium in Rosewood for our annual BGCM Flag Football Tour-nament. Come out and see our kids compete, enjoy the concessions provided by our Torch Clubs, and show your BGCM spirit! In addition to the tournament championship, we will have a spirit award and half-time hula hoop competition.

Are you ready for some football?

While shopping at JCPenney from October 13-26, you will be invited to “round-up” your pur-chase to the nearest whole dollar and donate the difference to BGCM. All funds raised from JCPenney’s “Round-up” campaign will make it possible for more youth to participate in BGCM’s after-school and summer programs. Please remind all of your friends, family and co-workers to Round-Up!

Columbia native, Monique Coleman, of High School Musical & Dancing with the Stars, has started a new website called Gimmemo.com, which spotlights positive teenagers and gives them a platform to talk about their most pressing

issues. On September 19, Coleman invited select friends, fam-ily, and the Zoo Teens for a VIP

viewing of her first internet episode, prior to a “Meet & Greet” with the public at Riverbanks Zoo. The Zoo Teens brought out many animals to en-tertain the public by letting them touch and ask questions about the different animals while wait-ing for Coleman. The Zoo Teens were filmed doing a “GIMME MO!” shout that will appear in one of the future internet episodes!

Back Row Left to Right:Alex Michaeli, Donald Williams, Jasmine Collier, Jordan Ash, Monique Coleman, Kayla Sparks, Cameron Clyburn, Kelly Wilson, Danesha Williams, Araesia King, Lyric Armon-Brown.Front Row Left to Right: Jason Mead, Syndi Castelluccio, Jenny Yeager, Gerilyn Kim

are seeing STARS!

The great folks from local BB&T branches in Irmo, seen here donating their time at Harbison West’s BE GREAT Academy, donated over $2,000 in program supplies and games. Thanks to BB&T, every club has a brand new football and kickball!

PROGRAM SPOTLIGHT With the semester in progress at Oak Grove Be Great Academy, things are looking “Great.” Parents have plenty of praises about the

programs this semester. “The programs offered instill the “Be Great” theme as a way of life for the students,” Fatima Pittman, a returning parent, said. Staff members leading these programs are very excited about the possibilities of a new year and new students. Parents recognize the staff and their ability to help members strive to be great. “The staff members give the children what they need to be great but they allow them to think for themselves and be involved with their own decisions,” said Joy Boatwright, a 5th grade parent. Be Great Academy is embarking on its third year at Oak Grove Elementary and they have many plans this semester including a visit from the EdVenture Fire and Life Safety on Oct. 22. Oak Grove’s Jr. Torch Club will be spending this semester maintaining and beautify-ing the school’s outdoor classroom in collaboration with the PTA. This year holds the promise of being a great one for Oak Grove Be Great Academy club members, parents, and staff members.

CAMPUS SPOTLIGHTOak Grove Be Great Academy

479 Oak Drive, Lexington, SC 29073803-466-0616

Area Director: Robin SaviolaCampus Director: Arielle Williams Program Director: Adrian Peguese