Boys & Girls Clubs of Western Nevada receives 850 sweatshirts

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Western Nevada received 850 sweatshirts for every member of their Carson City and Carson Valley locations thanks to local donors like Phil and Penny Wright, longtime Carson Valley residents.

The Wrights donated just more than half the cost needed for the 850 sweatshirts, with Briggs Electric and Holland & Hart making the other half possible.

Matt Sampson, director of operations for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Western Nevada, said the Clubs have been handing out sweatshirts to their members for the past four years to help ensure no child goes without a means of warmth during the winter months.

Phil Wright said they were honored to give the money which helped provide the sweatshirts. While they donate money annually, it’s typically to national organizations. Wright said they’ve made an exception for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Western Nevada since 2011, having given to the Carson Valley Clubs as well as the Teen Center in Carson City.

“The Boys & Girls Clubs of Western Nevada is definitely worth supporting,” Wright said. “It’s great to see a local organization that does such a great job and makes such a difference in the lives of the children in our community.”

Katie Leao, executive director of Boys & Girls Clubs of Western Nevada, said they rely heavily on donations to support the clubs’ day-to-day operations as well as special events and items, like the sweatshirts, for the kids.

“Without people like the Wrights we would not have been able to do what we have done every day for the past 25 years,” Leao said. “Our Carson Valley Club, which operates out of Pau-Wa-Lu Middle School in Gardnerville, is bursting at the seams, serving 340 kids. We are working toward building a clubhouse of their own in the near future, so securing donors is not only essential for things like the sweatshirts, but for large long-term goals and projects as well.”