Ron Ryan Executive director started off his presentation by saying that “you guys (West Side Nut Club) are the best”   In December of 2009 The Boys and Girls Club of Evansville celebrated their 52^nd year of existence.  “For 50 years we warehoused in an 1894 school house”  Ryan went on to talk about how the West Side Nut Club helped with the old gym by repairing the floor and providing new basketball goals.  “Before we tore down the old building, the basketball goals you put up in our old facility are now at Mater Dei.  There were a lot of people who did things at our old building and we didn’t want those things to go down with the ruble so that is why the goals are now at Mater Dei”

Over the years the West Side Nut Club has donated over $75,000 to the Boys and Girls Club of Evansville and the Nut Club members hve donated thousands of hours fixing and sprucing up various items at the Boys and Girls Club.

While planning on a new building for the Boys and Girls Club of Evansville Ryan says that they “ran a five million dollar campaign to build this facility and put some in the bank to sustain this facility.  We didn’t go out and hire outside people to tell us how to run our campaign which a lot of organizations do, we just did it!  We went knocking on doors, sitting down with CEO’s of companies.  We did not have to borrow one penny to build our new facility.”

With the expansion of Berry Plastics, The Boys and Girls Club was in a good position to build a new building at new location.  “With Berry and Deaconess and all the building they were doing there were more and more kids that had to rely on being dropped off and for a lot of our kids, they cannot rely on anybody at their house, they rely on our staff.  So we looked at where we needed to go and where were the most kids.  We had three different options and we chose to go across from Lincoln School and we looked at the census and there were 2800 more kids within a mile of our facility than there were at the Illinois St. location”

Ryan went on to talk about the kids that come to the Boys and Girls Club “boys and girls are good kids and we expect nothing but the best of them.  We able to be more demanding of  them than they are in a school setting.  We don’t have to put up with any nonsense or it’s goodbye.  For ten dollars a year, which is all our kids pay, we have enough kids that want to do the right thing. “

“So the first two weeks we were open with 1300 new members it was an eye opener for the staff and for our old members.  There were a lot of new members who came through our doors and thought that they were going to run the show.  We had to have a come to Jesus meeting with these kids.  I was the dean of students in a south side Chicago school where I had four police officers and over 100 cameras in the school and basically I was dealing with gangsters all the time.  We had to put 90 kids out that day and our average attendance went to about 340 a day, that is 340 good kids that are there for the right reasons.  We all know that there are some kids out there that have to learn things the hard way and they were all welcomed back with a parent conference.”

“Our kids have no place else to go to be quite honest with you, our kids families can afford the prices many leagues charge for extra curricular activities.  Having coached sports for over 20 years I know the importance of sports in a kids life but I also know in 20 years of education that the bottom line is for them to succeed is for them to get an education.  When most people think of the Boys and Girls Club they think basketball for the poor kids, not even close.  Walk through our doors and you will see the first thing our kids have to do is homework.  We have a tutoring program, we have a power hour where kids are pre and post tested in English and math.  We do drug and alcohol as well as teenage pregnancy prevention programs, we do financial literacy classes with the kids, we do arts and crafts.  We have sewing and knitting, we have cooking classes and we have special guest speakers there really is something for every kid regardless of what their likes and dislikes are.  We have a scholarship program for our kids that are paid by our service league ladies who have been around for over 40 years.  Any of our high school kids that want to go on to college we will offer them a $1000 scholarship ($500 a semester) and we give it to them personally so it doesn’t count against their other potential financial aid sources.”

Ryan went on to discuss the personnel who run the Boys and Girls Club of Evansville “we have 7 full time staff members and anywhere between 20-30 part time staff members at any given time and every single one except five of us grown up with the club, they have been there since they were a kid. “

“Through our scholarship program we have had a couple of girls who are teachers in the EVSC and when they are done teaching in the schools, they come to volunteer at our club.”

Ryan says some of the plans for the future is to renovate and have ready an old baseball field next to the facility.  With the help of Major League Baseball Players Association and players Don Mattingly and Jamie Carrol the club has secured a $75,000 grant which was also matched.  The field should be open this spring and ready for baseball games.

How can you help the Boys and Girls Club of Evansville?

DONATE. VOLUNTEER. BE-GREAT!

Every gift matters - no matter how big or small. 

Never underestimate the impact you can have on a child's life by making a donation and volunteering at the Club. With an annual budget of over $800,000, donations from individuals, companies, foundations and other organizations are critical in our ability to provide comprehensive educational and recreational programming.

Our annual membership fee per child is only $10. There are never any extra fees or charges for special trips (Holiday World, Skate World, Burdette Park, etc.), team sports, music programs, or any of the Club's ongoing programs and services. This is only possible with your generosity.

It is easy to donate to the Boys & Girls Club of Evansville.
You can click the "Donate Now" button located on our website.
You can write a check and mail to: PO Box 6311, Evansville, IN 47719
You can call us (812.425.2311) if you would prefer to use your Visa or Master Card to make a donation.

The Club is also able to accept gifts of stock, mutual funds and, in some situations, real estate. Contact Jamie Morris or Ron Ryan to learn more about making a donation of this kind.

If you are interested in volunteering, please go to the faq & forms page to learn more.

Planned Giving and The Heritage Club
The Boys & Girls Club also offers you the opportunity to leave a legacy by including the Club in your estate plans. The Heritage Club is a very special group of Club supporters who have made such a provision; a gift that will last for generations to come. There are several ways to make a planned gift to the Club: make a provision in your will; list the Club as a beneficiary in your life insurance policy; establish a Charitable Gift Annuity or Trust.

There are many options available for you today to make a planned gift to the Club. In doing so, you are leaving a legacy that will serve thousands upon thousands of kids for generations to come.


For more information about Planned Giving and donating to the Club, contact Jamie Morris or Ron Ryan. 812.425.2311 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

For more information please visit The Boys and Girls Club of Evansville’s website at www. bgclubevv.org/help.html