OUR HISTORY
Creating The Vacaville Neighborhood Boys & Girls Clubs began in 2001 when the City of Vacaville formed an advisory group to provide guidance on the future of three neighborhood centers serving youth from disadvantaged neighborhoods. The advisory group combined a mixture of experience and interest from Department Heads, community business leaders, and caring citizens. After exploring a variety of alternatives, the advisory group developed a business plan and formed a non-profit 501(C)3 organization with the goal of increasing services to children and youth in the city.
The advisory group’s decision to align with Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) was a natural one because of their history and expertise of serving youth across the United States with a variety of nationally tested and proven programs that address today’s most pressing youth issues.
In 2003, The Vacaville Neighborhood Boys & Girls Clubs chartered its first site the Mariposa Center, hiring a charismatic Executive Director, Montoya Graham.
In 2005, The Vacaville Neighborhood Boys & Girls Clubs chartered an additional site at the Trower Center.
Through the recession, The Vacaville Neighborhood Boys & Girls Club continued to serve youth and expand program offerings at extension sites.
In 2013, Anna Eaton was hired to move the organization forward.
In 2014, two extensions were opened in partnership with Vacaville Community Housing: the Acacia Center and the Teen Center at the Meadows.
In 2015, one additional extension was opened to serve the underserved middle school population at Vaca Pena.
In 2018, Our latest site was added at Jepson Middle school to fulfill our goal for serving more teens.
In 2019, The VNBGC sub-contracted with the Vacaville Unified School District to operate the After School Education and Safety (ASES) program located in the title I schools of Fairmont, Hemlock, Markham and Padan Elementary School making it a total of 9 sites in Vacaville.
Throughout the pandemic crisis, the VNBGC and staff stayed open and stood firm in the belief to do whatever it takes to help youth find continuity, support and resilience through un-chartered times.
As we celebrate the accomplishments of the last decade, we look forward to strengthening our partnerships to continue to serve the youth who need us most.
CEO'S MESSAGE
When the bell rings, schools are out but the Vacaville Neighborhood Boys & Girls Clubs (VNBGC) are in. Unfortunately, 1/3 of Vacaville’s kids have no place to go leaving them at risk of being unsupervised, unguided, and unsafe. The definition of “at-risk” is no longer defined as just low income or underserved youths. We know all too well that children in middle and upper-income families deal with just as many social and personal issues.
Ensuring a safe, productive place for kids to spend out-of-school time is vital. Our goal at The Vacaville Neighborhood Boys & Girls Club is to inspire our youth to believe in themselves and to enhance their lives through the programs brought to them by our compassionate staff. We provide Vacaville’s youth with life-changing programs that develop a desire for learning and we believe that every young person deserves a great future. As the children, ages 6-18, go back to school, our Club is ready to step in and address many of the issues our young people face. By engaging our youth in positive role-play through our SMART MOVES program, we provide them with decision-making skills that will one day save lives. By exposing them to technology, we give them the skills needed to ensure they are not left behind. By helping our youth develop character today, we guarantee that they will have a positive impact and play a major role in our communities tomorrow.
The Vacaville Neighborhood Boys & Girls Club is one of the most influential youth development organizations in our community and our vision is that all Club members graduate from high school with a plan for the future, demonstrating good character and citizenship, and leading a healthy lifestyle. Since our opening in October 2003, we have served over four thousand youth. Community investments and strong leadership have been the driving catalysts of the Club although we have not been immune to hard economic times. We know that with continued community involvement and support as well as strong leadership we will be able to give Vacaville’s most disadvantaged youth the opportunity to be successful in life, regardless of their life situation.
Together, we can help a child increase in confidence, create possibilities, and inspire hope for a brighter future.
Warmly,
Anna Eaton, CEO
OUR ALUMNI
& Their Great Futures.
HIP HOP RECORDING ARTIST
ASHANTI
*CELEBRITY ALUMNI
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Great Board members contribute Time, Talent or Treasure to the mission of the Vacaville Neighborhood Boys & Girls Clubs. If you are interested in serving on our highly dedicated and driven Board, please contact Anna Eaton at aeaton@vnbgc.com
Executive Board Committee
President: David Esparza
Vice President/Resource Development: Mike Johnson
Secretary: Lisette Estrella-Henderson
Treasurer: Lissette Mora
Board of Directors
Cherie Stagg
Curtis Hunt
Diana Bennett
Ian Schumtlzer
Michael Strunk
Michelle Sabolich
STAFF DIRECTORY
At The Vacaville Neighborhood Boys & Girls Clubs, we are committed to ensuring all youth have a safe and caring environment to:
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Learn and grow through structured and fun programs that will motivate youth to achieve high academic standards and be life-long learners;
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Develop into competent, socially conscious, and confident young adults with leadership skills;
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Cultivate self-esteem by learning and demonstrating respect and by listening and being heard; and
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Make their community a better place by taking the initiative to live healthy and happy
CLUB SITE PHONES
Trower Center
707-999-5034
Acacia Center
707-898-3241
Kairos Club
707-898-3150
The Club at Jepson
707-898-3170
The Club at Vaca Pena
707-898-3958
ADMIN
Barbara Hernandez
707-999-5034
DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS
Open Position
PROGRAM DIRECTOR
Itzely Suarez
707-898-3096
CAREER OPPORTUNITIES
Thank you for your interest in working for the Vacaville Neighborhood Boys & Girls Club. Working for the Club and its members is not a job, it’s a lifestyle. We are always accepting applications and looking for great candidates as the needs of the Club is ever changing with our growth. Candidates meeting the minimum qualifications will be invited to an interview. Inquiries for specific positions may be made by calling 707-999-5034.
All applications must be submitted to:
Vacaville Neighborhood Boys & Girls Club
Attention: Barbara, Club Admin
100 Holly Lane
Vacaville, CA 95688
Please submit your resume to
100 Holly Lane, Vacaville, CA 95688
and indicate the position you are applying for.
IN THE NEWS/EN LAS NOTICIAS
Nearly three months after the Vacaville Neighborhood Boys & Girls Club headquarters closed for renovations, staff have returned and children’s laughter again rings through the facility.
Californians have been sheltering at home for the last four months, which in quarantine time is equivalent to four years or 400 years depending on who you ask.
Due to the global coronavirus pandemic, the Vacaville Neighborhood Boys & Girls Club has to limit the number of kids who can participate on its premises at a given time.
Despite campus being closed, the blacktop at Willis Jepson Middle School was filled with youngsters riding their bikes and scooters.
A whimsical tea complete with fine china, finger foods and teapots full of the good stuff greeted several handfuls of youths Thursday at the Vacaville Neighborhood Boys & Girls Club’s Trower Center.
Zacary Johnson can’t imagine being at home with four other siblings while school is shut down.
“That’s why I come here,” said the seventh-grader. “I don’t know how to deal with them.”
On Monday, the kids of Vacaville Neighborhood Boys & Girls Club put their creative skills to use to create cards, not for their classmates but a decorated World War II veteran to thank him for his service.
For the second time in his seven years with the Vacaville Neighborhood Boys & Girls Club, Sergio Maciel was selected as the club’s Youth of the Year.
Wiggling, giggling, and dancing their hearts out with Santa hats on their little heads, members of the Vacaville Neighborhood Boys & Girls Club this week rang bells for donations for The Salvation Army.
The wonderful aroma of a traditional Thanksgiving meal beckoned residents into the Vacaville Neighborhood Boys & Girls Club headquarters Friday while conversation and camaraderie lured them further onto the patio.
She’s a wife, mom, children’s advocate, and head of a nonprofit.
And for 2017, Anna Eaton, executive director of the Vacaville Neighborhood Boys & Girls Club, is also the 2017 Woman of the Year for Assemblyman Jim Frazier’s district.
As temperatures soared past the triple digits Tuesday evening, police officers, firefighters, and community members fanned out across Solano County to celebrate National Night Out.
The sharp tang of onions, rich aroma of garlic and sweet essence of carrot cake blended Monday in the kitchen at Vacaville’s Opportunity House, where teens from the Vacaville Neighborhood Boys & Girls Club whipped up dinner for residents of the homeless shelter.
Gleeful.
That sums up the atmosphere at the Vacaville Neighborhood Boys & Girls Club Friday as dozens of youths swarmed the Easter basket-laden Vacaville firefighters outside.
medic David Beene.
Music played, bacon-wrapped hot dogs tempted and games beckoned Friday at the Acacia branch of the Vacaville Neighborhood Boys & Girls Club.
Such was the local celebration of National Boys & Girls Clubs of America week.
Duded up in a white shirt and black-on-black pinstripe suit early Thursday, Sergio Maciel of Vacaville tackled public speaking on the Microsoft campus and won.
With an air of confidence as big as his lion’s mane of curls Thursday night, Sergio Maciel embraced the crowd gathered at the Opera House and gave insight on how the Vacaville Neighborhood Boys & Girls Club has impacted his young life.
She’s a wife, mom, children’s advocate and head of a nonprofit.
And for 2017, Anna Eaton, executive director of the Vacaville Neighborhood Boys & Girls Club, is also the 2017 Woman of the Year for Assemblyman Jim Frazier’s district.
With knowledge comes power and a group of Vacaville teens hope their second-annual gathering will bring awareness and empowerment to fellow youths.
This year’s ambassador for the Vacaville Neighborhood Boys and Girls Club has been chosen.
Sergio Maciel, 15, a sophomore at Will C. Wood High School, will serve as the 2017 Youth of the Year for the Club. He will go on to compete in the Northern California Youth of the Year competition.
Kids at the Vacaville Neighborhood Boys and Girls Club got creative with leftover cardboard this week.
Used cardboard boxes were scattered across the floor of the Club Thursday.
Christmas came to Alamo Garden Apartments as the Vacaville Neighborhood Boys & Girls Club teens descended on the complex Friday bearing cookies, music, gifts and a whole lot of cheer.
Bells jangled, elves giggled and Santa twirled with a reindeer Wednesday in Vacaville.
When Julian Howard was a child, he remembered having just a few small presents under his Christmas tree.
Times were hard, he said, and gifts weren’t necessities.
So many societal ills are swirling and teens don’t know how to deal or where to turn.
Which is why a Buckingham Charter Magnet High School senior created a safe place to land — her Social Awareness Club at the school.
In an age where “Who do you think you are?” is a popular TV show and “Black Lives Matter” is a nationwide movement, a Vacaville High School student is posing a curriculum that delves into cultural identity.
For local youths, the Vacaville Neighborhood Boys & Girls Club has been a comforting place to learn and grow.
The Club has partnered with Burlington Stores Inc. to get backpacks for youths.
Starting a new school year is exciting when you know that you have all your gear ready to go in your brand new backpack.
When kids get hungry, they turn to whatever’s at hand — which often are fat laden, overly processed options.
Two years ago, a trio of vertical, aeroponic tower gardens arrived at the Vacaville Neighborhood Boys & Girls Club and introduced youths to a new way of sustainable living that also aided in community outreach.
With chirps and tweets and caws, a Fairfield author and ornithologist Monday morning slowly won over a group of kids with the Vacaville Neighborhood Boys & Girls Club.
Sporting eager smiles and capable hands, Team 1 made quick work of lunch production at Epiphany Church so that when Team 2 arrived, they could be all about serving meals and ministering to their homeless companions.
From bushels of basil to flats of strawberries, cherries and peaches, produce has been the star of the Vacaville Neighborhood Boys & Girls Club in recent weeks.
When the munchies hit on a weekday kids at the Vacaville Neighborhood Boys & Girls Club know where to turn — their very own Snack Shack, put on by their peers.
It started with pickling cucumbers in a spicy, peppery juice. Then continued with squishing strawberries into a chunky, tasty jam.
A strong aroma of vinegar wafted through the Trower Center Thursday afternoon, but the Vacaville Neighborhood Boys & Girls Club kids in attendance were all smiles.
The Vacaville Neighborhood Boys & Girls Club was a big winner Thursday night with two Club members taking home Champions for Children awards sponsored by the Children’s Nurturing Project.
The Vacaville Neighborhood Boys & Girls Club, Will C. Wood Interact Club and the Reach/Aware Coalition invite teens ages 13 to 18 to the first youth summit Operation Representation.
Loud yells could be heard echoing from the Markham Heights neighborhood this week.
“Officer, over here! Over here, officer!” children shouted from Boys and Girls Club on Holly Lane.
As music blared in the background Wednesday, kids feasted on hot dogs, had their faces painted and played a variety of games...
Thanks to generous community donors, the Vacaville Neighborhood Boys & Girls Club has a new way to transport club kids around town and beyond.
After sharing a personal reflection on what the Vacaville Neighborhood Boys and Girls Club has taught her about volunteerism and self-respect, a Vanden High School sophomore was chosen as the club’s Youth of the Year.
Shanneil Turner’s dream was to play on Vacaville High School’s basketball team. The 15-year-old was set on trying out, but one thing was standing in her way: shoes.
With a few snips of the scissors and a lot of finger-tying, the dozen or so kiddos gathered from the club’s Trower and Acacia branches make quick work of a pile of donated fleece bits.
The enticing aroma of roast turkey and all the fixings, an abundance of laughter and conversation and the very clear presence of fun Monday night signaled the annual community Thanksgiving prepared, served and hosted by the Vacaville Neighborhood Boys & Girls Club.
Following a rousing performance by an Elvis impersonator and a hearty Christmas lunch, a group of Vacaville youths took the mic Friday at McBride Senior Center and matched wits with a room full of spry senior citizens.
As brownies baked in the oven Monday and at least a dozen youths gathered for an academic lesson, another group of kids at the Vacaville Neighborhood Boys & Girls Club focused on fleece.
Armed with scissors, tape and giftwrap, an army of volunteers gathered at Valley Church and made quick work of the piles of hats, scarves and gloves slated for Vacaville’s homeless this Christmas.
They danced, they sang, they complimented, and by the end of their shifts Wednesday in front of the East Monte Vista Avenue Lucky’s, the kids with the Vacaville Neighborhood Boys & Girls Club had raised an ample amount of funding for the needy by ringing bells for the Salvation Army.
With a series of chuckles and familiar “ho, ho, hos,” Santa announced his arrival Friday at the Trower Center, where members of the Vacaville Neighborhood Boys & Girls Club celebrated their annual Christmas party.
Vacaville Boys and Girls Club member, Chris Island, 11, of Vacaville talks about the new garden towers that he helped build and maintain at the Trower Center.
The heady aroma of garlic permeated the kitchen at Vacaville’s Opportunity House Thursday, punctuated by snatches of conversations, giggles and the occasional cautionary “Watch it.”