Torch Club Completes 20 Good Deeds for 20 Years

As we reflect on 2011, the Tanners Torch Club at the Boys & Girls Club of Woburn celebrates a successful and important anniversary. This past year marked the 20^th anniversary of the service learning and leadership program for middle school students. Torch Club members learn to elect officers and work together to implement activities in four areas: service to Club and community, education, health and fitness, and social recreation. The Torch Club program is implemented in Boys & Girls Clubs across the country and overseas on military bases. Over the last year, current members in Woburn honored the two decades of service through activities in all four program areas. 

Members participated in 20 Good Deeds for 20 Years throughout the 2011 calendar year. Together, members created a list of twenty projects, activities, and issues they wanted to address. Some of the key issues that they chose to focus on included hunger, homelessness, and education. Projects ranged from holding a basketball tournament to collect children’s books for those in need to writing thank you cards to teachers that were a positive influence on them. 

A main focus of the Tanners Torch Club is to make members aware of varied issues that face our local and global community. This foundation is provided with the hope that youth will find issues that they are passionate about and use learned leadership skills to create change. The year culminated with a gathering of current and former Torch Club members and advisors to celebrate the accomplishments of the Tanners Torch Club throughout its twenty years. 

Throughout 2011, the twenty members of the 20^th Torch Club collected over 20 suitcases for children in foster care, donated over 20 pounds of food to Woburn’s Council of Social Concern, wrote 20 letters to Congressman Markey, picked up 20 bags of trash, wrote 20 letters to troops overseas, donated over 20 school supplies to a student in need, to name a few. Weekly, members tracked their progress and achievements on a giant checklist posted at the Club that listed their 20 goals.  Throughout these projects and activities, each member of the group averaged 48 hours of community service. 

The Boys & Girls Club of Woburn is proud of its strong commitment to service. The Tanners Torch Club has been an integral part in teaching our members the importance of giving back to their community and we look forward to the next 20 years!

Special thanks to Megan Gambale, Education and Leadership Development Director at the Boys & Girls Club of Woburn for her extraordinary and visionary leadership of the Tanners Torch Club throughout this exciting initiative.