Boys & Girls Club of Lake County

When I met with Mr. Angel, the unit manager for The Boys and Girls Club of Lake County (BGCLC), for the first time he told me a story about walking into the gym to find some grey-haired men playing basketball on the Boys and Girls Club courts. And they were good! Mr. Angel learned that they used to be members of the club when they were children and that they had come back to practice on the familiar court in the familiar place that had changed their lives back then. He then said to me, what you are building will hopefully be here for a long time, and one day you can come back as an adult and see kids playing in that same Gaga Ball pit that you built. So, I resolved, I want to build something that will last.

 

Pictured - Me (Left) and Mr. Angel (Right)

 

Hello, My name is Tom Foley, I am a scout with Troop 48 and I am working on my Eagle Project: Building an accessible Gaga Ball pit for the Boys and Girls Club of Lake County's Genesee Youth Center. When I was told that the Boys and Girls club wanted a Gaga Ball pit built for the club members, I knew that it would be a great project. Gaga Ball is a game where kids play in an enclosed hexagon-shaped. The game is played by hitting around a kickball and trying to get the ball to tag another player in the leg - rendering them out. The last one standing wins! Gaga Ball is a game I love and played all throughout middle school - It is a lot of fun and social game and great exercise! I am very exited to share a game I love with the youth who consider the Boys and Girls a home away from home.

 

 

Image credit - https://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/education/2018/11/01/gaga-ball-norwood-elementary-five-things-know/1849197002/

 

The Boys and Girls Club is an incredible organization. The BGCLC is located in Waukegan, IL. They provide kids in the community with safe and affordable after-school programs including basketball courts and spaces to cook and do homework with other kids their age. For the kids that need those places, it is an incredibly powerful force for good in their lives and a place that has garnered an incredible amount of respect from the community for all the work they do.

 

 

 

Pictured - The Genesee Site main entrance (Top), The lawn where I will be building the Gaga Ball pit (Bottom)

 

My fundraising goal is $2,550, I am asking for your tax-deductible donation to not only support me in pursuit of my Eagle Rank, but also an incredible organization that changes lives for the youth of Lake County. These funds will go toward the actual Gaga Ball Materials (Weather Treated wood, Lag Bolts, etc.), renting tools to do the installation (4ft Level, Post Hole Diggers, Drills, etc.), Supplies for measuring (String, stakes, tarps, etc.), and toward a ground-breaking ceremony once it's completed to teach the kids how to play!

 

Pictured - My Gaga Ball Pit Project Budget

 

Thank you for your support in making this incredible project come to life. Please- feel free to reach out to me regarding project specifics.