Villa to Celebrate 20th Anniversary with Olivet Boys & Girls Club New Teen Center

To celebrate its 20th anniversary, VILLA, the area’s leading lifestyle retailer in footwear, apparel and accessories is gifting Olivet Boys & Girls Club of Reading and Berks County with a VILLA Teen Center - exposing teens to cultural, academic, college and career preparatory programs, along with multicultural experiences, with the purpose of developing young leaders and bridging the gaps in education and economic development in urban neighborhoods. The VILLA Teen Center will be located at the Olivet Boys & Girls Club’s Clinton Street Unit located at 677 Clinton Street. As part of the fourth annual “Boys & Girls Club's Day for Kids”, the VILLA Teen Center will be dedicated on Saturday, September 12, 2009.  
Programming at the Teen Center will include college preparatory and awareness, career planning and job readiness, creative expression (ie playwriting, film, etc), visual arts and design, and service and community beautification projects, along with exposure to the theater, museums, alternative sports, dance, and educational institutions.
Boys & Girls Club Day for Kids is a day set aside each year to celebrate and honor America's children by spending meaningful time with them. It's about celebrating kids – children, grandchildren or any child in need of mentoring.

Each year Americans have cars inspected, change the batteries in smoke alarms and check furnaces before the cold weather. These actions are routine – things that we never forget to do. Yet, when it comes to our most important responsibility – our children – we sometimes forget to take stock of how we’re doing as parents and caregivers. BGC Day for Kids, with its meaningful time message, aims to change that. Millions of families nationwide will participate in this effort to foster stronger relationships between adults and children by educating them on the importance and value of spending meaningful time together.

The public is invited to tour the clubs, meet the staff, learn about club programs, sign up youth for school year membership and participate in fun activities. Olivet Boys & Girls Club of Reading and Berks County will celebrate Day for Kids on Saturday, September 12, 2009 from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. at five of their locations: 13th & Perkiomen (1310 Perkiomen Avenue); PAL Unit (325 Walnut Street); Oakbrook Unit (1161 Pershing Blvd) Clinton Street Unit (677 Clinton Street); and Mulberry Street Unit (722 Mulberry Street).     

About Villa:
VILLA is the area’s leading lifestyle retailer uniquely offering the head to toe fashion hook-up (footwear, apparel, and accessories). Celebrating 20 years as an industry innovator and community leader, VILLA's roots are in Reading, PA as the very first of 25 stores was opened here. Over the years, the vision of founders Chris and Ruth Lutz, and CEO Jason Lutz, has been to provide service and leadership opportunities to communities that have been historically underserved and disadvantaged.

It is only with the help of such community partners as Olivet Boys & Girls Club that VILLA has been able to grow and have such measurable success within the communities it operates. With VILLA's community-oriented Join the Movement (JTM) campaign, VILLA is able to mobilize community outreach and service and provide opportunities for economic and social empowerment, as evidenced by the VILLA Teen Center.

Since 1997, VILLA has worked with Olivet Boys & Girls Club of Reading and Berks County - a relationship that began with the Police Athletic League (PAL) of Reading before they merged with the Olivet Boys & Girls Club. Excited by the work they were doing, Jason Lutz eventually joined their Board of Directors. Over the course of this partnership, VILLA has participated in Boys & Girls Club fundraisers including the Steak & Burger dinner, PAL Unit Batting Challenge with the Reading Phillies and the annual 3-on-3 weekend basketball tournament at Reading City Park. What's more, VILLA partnered with Nike to install a new gym floor at the PAL Unit. Jason, Chris and Ruth Lutz along with Nike representatives and other volunteers physically removed the old gym floor.

The Reading VILLA Teen Center will be the second VILLA Teen Center, with the first being in Philadelphia. Each VILLA Teen Center has the same inherent goals of providing a high energy and fun environment while also providing access to programs that will promote an increase in high school graduation and college attendance. VILLA Teen Centers are only successful when the host organization is effective and adept and providing well organized programs and activities for teens. VILLA has chosen Olivet Boys and Girls Club because of their exceptional program management and commitment to youth development.
To learn more about VILLA, visit VILLA