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The Baumholder Youth Center was recently awarded a $5,000 grant in recognition of its high-quality programs and demonstrated commitment to service, emphasizing youth learning, character, and leadership.
The center was recognized for having one the top five Torch Club national projects within the Boys and Girls Club of America movement for 2023. The Torch Club is a junior leadership program that promotes leadership and service within the community.
“The Baumholder Torch Club program impacted the community in several ways,” said Stephanie Lane, Youth Programs assistant director. “The Torch Club gave members an opportunity to reflect on their own behaviors and on what they can do to make the community around them a better place.”
The Baumholder Youth Center took a unique approach by encouraging the kids to share memories of their favorite moments with teachers.
In September 2023, during a Torch Club meeting, the members talked about teachers that made a difference in their lives, and decided to do something to make those teachers feel appreciated.
The group discussed distributing gift baskets to teachers for World Teachers’ Day and started planning the contents based on locality, price, and availability. They then compiled a list of possible items for inclusion in the baskets and agreed to meet a few weeks later to follow up on project execution.
On Oct. 4, the group came together to decorate and assemble the baskets.
“They worked well as a team to make sure all the baskets had an equal number of items,” said Lane. “Knowing that they were doing a good deed for their teachers made them clearly very happy.”
The following day, the Torch Club members delivered the baskets to the teachers at the local Child Development Centers and at the School Age Center.
Lane said that this project helped strengthen the bond between local teachers and the Baumholder Military Community youth. It showed how impactful educators can be on younger minds and how deeply appreciated they are for their hard work.
“The Torch Club helps our youth discover that they are part of the community and the world around them, and that each one of them has great potential for making a positive impact,” Lane said.
The Baumholder Youth Center is a Child and Youth Services program run by the U.S. Army Garrison Rheinland-Pfalz Directorate of Family and Morale, Welfare, and Recreation. The program is free for middle/high-school students in grades 6 through 12 and offers several programs such as Torch Club, Keystone, and Journeys, thanks to the ongoing partnership with the Boys and Girls Clubs of America and 4-H.
Currently, the youth center provides services to 180 registered youth members as well as many families within the BMC.
“Our role at the youth center is to provide a safe and positive environment to encourage our youth and support them as they build skills,” said Lane. “A very important part of the Torch Club is to help its members identifying contributing acts of service to perform for other community members.”
The bi-monthly meetings allow for discussion and planning of community projects to help the youth accomplish their service goals.
“Through the latest Torch Club project, our youth witnessed how rewarding it can be to invest time and energy in a selfless way, and how much joy they can bring to others,” Lane said. “Hopefully, they will continue to find ways to impact the community for the best, either on their own or with a group.”
