THE GIRLS PROGRAM TIMELINE
Like the celebrated date of October 19, 1931, the day of the first football game of NBC, the girls programs proudly marks April 27, 1991 as its official start.  It was on that date that 32 girls came to a meeting to organize a softball league.  Teams were made, captains elected and a schedule was made. 
First Girls Softball Meeting (click)
​
All would agree, the NBGC has been the benefactor of many women since its beginnings it the 1930’s.  With the 2021 inductees, 20 of the 68 members of the Hall of Fame are women.  In 1994, the club welcomed its first young women to the Leaders Program. 
Girls join Leader Program (click)

Though the name “Neighborhood Boys and Girls Club” was formally adopted more than 5 years later (on January 29, 1997) the program was well on its way to decades of success.  As the club celebrates its 90th Anniversary, the girls program celebrates 30 years of activities.
Board Meets to Change Club Name (click)
A New Era Begins (click)

Participating in the Leader Program, the young women become eligible for “Leaders of the Future Scholarship”.   The “G” in NBGC is fully engaged.
1st Scholarships (click)
 
The Girls Program continues to grow fast…and go fast, as a Girls on the Run chapter has years of success
Girls on the Run...more than just running! (click)
...more running (click)
 
First members, then leaders, and now Alumni
Girls...25th Anniversary (2016) (click) 

More details of Girls Program history appeared in the 2016 Anniversary and Hall of Fame Program (link below).

​Jim McNulty 
Joins NBC/NBGC as Wildcat (click)
Named Executive Director (click)
We Applaud You... (click)

Tony & Bea Coppola
"One Night Fund Campaign" for New Clubhouse (click)
Pancake Breakfast (click)
​Turkey Day (click)

On October 30, 2021 the Neighborhood Boys and Girls Club will celebrate its 90th Anniversary 
and induct seven new members into the Hall of Fame. The event will be at the White Eagle
Event and Convention Center in Niles, Illinois. Be sure to save the date. Look for event
details on NBGC's website, social media posts, emails and other sources.

This blog entry highlights the 2019 class of Hall of Fame inductees (below is a link to the
program for that occasion). We also take time to reminisce about some of the history
the NBGC has created over the decades. Enjoy the memories...more importantly, make plans 
​with your family and friends to join teammates for a wonderful night to celebrate the NBGC!

 Making History

The NBC/NBGC was founded in 1931 by Robert Buehler and Dick Valentin as a club run by kids for kids. This unique philosophy, and the founding principle that "Everybody Plays", insured that the Club would flourish for ninety years and counting.
Something unique to this organization is the incredible amount of documentation that has recorded the progress of our Club, our community and, indeed, our nation. In this blog we will feature the many ways the NBGC has preserved its history, and how we are working to make that history available to everyone.

On September 9, 1932, the NBC published its first weekly newsletter, and it has been published weekly for nine decades (except for a few weeks off every summer!). The first newsletter didn't have a name yet so they just titled it with a question mark. The newsletter kept members and their families informed about games, schedules, special events, fundraising and the weekly activity in the Clubhouse.

First edition (click)

In 1933 the newsletter finally got its name- the "Monkeyshines". According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary, "Monkeyshine" means "mischief or playful activity" and directs one to "pranks". Founder Robert Buehler's mother would listen to the antics in the Clubhouse, and came up with the name.

Since the "Monkeyshines" mostly reported on sports and clubhouse activities, another publication was developed to keep families and the community up to date on Club news- The NBC Reporter.

The NBC Reporter (click)

During World War II, Robert Buehler's brother was serving in the Navy and was participating in a letter exchange with former classmates. Mr. Buehler discussed with Dick Valentin starting a newsletter for NBC Servicemen, and the bi-weekly Service Paper was born. Driven by Dick Valentin and Jim Desherow, but with the help of many others, the Service Paper reported on Club activities, and included letters from NBC members serving overseas. It also included the mailing addresses of servicemen and alumni, helping everyone stay in touch. And, it was mailed to our soldiers all over the world!

Service Paper (click)

After the war, NBC alumni wanted to continue to keep up, so the Alumni Chatter evolved out of the Service Paper.
Still published today, the Chatter prints several times a year, keeping our community informed about Club activities, special events, fundraisers and alumni updates.

Alumni Chatter (click)

In addition, there are countless programs from special events, plays and entertainment, the Mom's Club and Dad's Club, fundraisers and anniversary celebrations.
And, of course, terabytes of team pictures, personal photos and videos.

​

Team in front of first Club House.                                                 2015 Pebble Panthers.

In 2006, the NBGC was preparing to celebrate its 75th Anniversary and wanted to create a yearbook and a slide show for the event. The Club enlisted the help of Alumni (and future Hall of Famer) Ray Sugrue. Ray had been collecting memorabilia and digitizing it, especially the WWII letters and photos. Ray carried on independently, preserving the history of the Club, until joined in 2020 by two other Hall of famers, Tom Krier and Peter Maxfield. With a goal of digitizing all of the NBGC past and present, they have been working to build a searchable database. Currently, all of the Monkeyshines from 1950 to the present are scanned, and the 30's and 40's are next. We will add Alumni Chatters, Reporters, programs, etc, in the next few years. In 2022 we hope to put the database onto our website so that anyone can search for a member or event, and discover a world of memories.

In the meantime, you can contact the Club by emailing info@nbgc.org or commenting on the post here and our Archivers will create a USB drive for you. If you would like to help, especially with identifying people in photos, the Archive team would love to hear from you!

2019 Anniversary and Hall of Fame Program (click)

​

Sue Fahey
Summer, Sun and Shower Fun (click) 
Credit and courage (click) 
Choreography and direction (click)
Visiting the Club (click)

Mary Gallery 
Undefeated Panthers (click)
​Senior Leader (click) 
Joins Staff (click)
National Merit and Princeton (click) 
​Keynote speaker (click)

Dick Schroeder
Dick and his wife Arlene were avid golfers, and could always be counted on to help out at the Alumni Golf outing or Family Fest.
1940s Bears back (click)

Glenn Stahl
Glenn was part of an NBGC dynasty- his father, Ralph was an original Hall of Fame inductee, and Glenn's children followed him into the Club. He played football on the indominable Wasps, and went on to coach. As a member of the Program Committee, Glenn helped create the Clubwalk.
Blocks of granite (click)

​Building a Better NBGC

Ninety years ago, the NBC/NBGC was founded by Robert Buehler and Dick Valentin as a kid's club run by kids. The members organized all of the Club's activities, and then reported about them in the weekly newsletter, called "The Monkeyshines."

It was up to the adults- the parents, families and community partners- to fund, build and financially support the Club. They contributed their time, their professional training and their life skills to both figuratively and literally build the NBC/NBGC. They constructed and staged hundreds of fundraising events, organized the Club's finances and management procedures, and served on the Board of Directors, all to ensure that the Club continued to head in the right direction.

So many families and community members have guided the NBGC to where it stands today, but we would like to highlight the contributions of a few of our Hall of Fame members.

Jim Kartheiser- With a career in commercial real estate development, Jim has overseen our Capital Campaigns, our Board's Property Committee, and guided the various renovations to our clubhouse.

Peter Kattner- An electrician who powered up the Family Fest's soundstage, kept the food booth running and helped with any NBGC booth needs at Ribfest.

Gloria Ottesen- Food is her thing! From the Mom's Club Spaghetti Dinner to the Family Festival Food Tent, Gloria contributed so many hours and raised so much money with her delicious meals.

Tony Coppola- As an electrician working with the Electrical Supply Company, Tony was able to acquire all of the electrical equipment for our new clubhouse in 1958.

Fares Zanayed- With his roofing/construction business, Fares helped with several clubhouse renovation projects- mostly recently installing new skylights during our 2020 major renovation.

Bill Abplanalp- Bill is an insurance agent by trade, and in addition to serving as the Club's Development Director, Board Member, and alumni liaison, Bill has overseen all of our insurance needs.

Dave Ottesen- Through his experience with finance and accounting, Dave was able to reorganize and secure the Club's financial procedures and business organization.

The Wiegelts- Owning a neighborhood catering business, the Weigelt family supported the NBC with facilities, equipment and expertise for many of our fundraising events across the Mom's Club, Dad's Club and the Family Fest.

Tom Krier- After working as an accountant and CFO, Tom became our Executive Director, setting the Club on a firm financial footing, and modernizing our administrative structure and procedures.


Below are some links to our Monkeyshines and Alumni Chatters spotlighting the talents lent to the NBGC over the years.

Sharing talents-
Frank Peters washes windows  (click)
2021 Clubhouse renovation  (click)
​Businesses volunteer  (click)
Kitchen renovation  (click)
​Clubhouse cleanup  (click)
Building the wall  (click)
New screens  (click)

2018 Anniversary and Hall of Fame Program  (click)

Dick & Joan Geshrey
Helping at the Clubhouse  (click)
​

Bert Lawrenz
Original player kicks off 20th Anniversary  (click)

Peter Maxfield
Raising funds for Game Room update  (click)
Program Committee supports Club funding  (click)
New Board officers  (click)

Dave Ottesen
Bees champs Grand Slam  (click)
Hockey Achievement Award  (click)
Foiling a robbery  (click)
Around the World champ  (click)
Off to DePaul University  (click)

 Frank Peters
Coaching Scorpions to championship  (click)
Christmas play  (click)
Holding up the tent  (click)
Leading Lions to the summit  (click)
Welcoming Senior Leaders to the cabin  (click)

​On October 30, 2021 the Neighborhood Boys & Girls Club will celebrate its 90th Anniversary and induct seven new members into the Hall of Fame.  The event will be at the White Eagle Event and Convention Center in Niles, Illinois.  Be sure to save the date.  Look for event details on NBGC's website, social media posts, emails and other sources.

This blog entry highlights the 2012 class of Hall of Fame inductees (below is a link to the program for that occasion).  We also take time to reminisce about some of the special events the NBGC has hosted over the decades. Enjoy the memories...more importantly, make plans with your family and friends to join teammates for a wonderful night to celebrate the NBGC!

EVENTS...​Whether fund or “fun” raisers, the NBGC has a rich history of hosting events.  The following is just a sampling of Hall of Famers and their families that made the events such a success;
FAMILY FEST
Abplanalps…Bill took charge of the raffle and the grill…his mom and dad helping out in years past.
Barretts…Jack ran the Carnival while Giz took charge of the Food Booth.
Brandons…Rich worked around the clock on the grounds and at the clubhouse while Maryann took charge of the Money Tree Booth.
Goerners…Paul Sr. helped keep everything running smoothly from set-up to take down and everything in between.  Jean ran the famous Tattoo/Souvenir Booth.  Gloria ran the silver dollar booth and helped out in the Food Booth on day camp session.
Hovaths…Arp, with family and friends, ran the Ham & Bacon Booth.
Kartheisers…Jim ran the event FOR DECADES…Kathy was always there for the matinees and the crowded nights selling ride tickets…succeeding his mom (Dolores) who was a Ferris Wheel ticket seller years before.
Kattners…Pete set-up the soundstage for the early shows…and made sure appliances were working in the Food Booth.
Kriers…Pete, Tom, Jeanne, Linda, Scott and “Uncle Ed” staffed the Finance Committee.
Loosevelts…Ted and Juanita, the legendary Ham & Bacon booth co-hosts.
Lunkes…Illinois Battery’s truck was always there to move supplies from their warehouse and the clubhouse to the fest grounds.
Maxfields…Peter spent countless hours collecting donations on the hot parking lot asphalt.
McNultys…Jim spent days and nights at the fest grounds and the clubhouse making sure all was running smoothly.
Nickels…Tom made sure everything was set-up right and then ran the beer garden.  Mary ran all sorts of booths and coordinated day camp sessions.
Ottesens…Gloria ran the Food Booth with help from Jerry and David.
Stones…Elma coordinated over 300 volunteers.
VanDenBosch…Tom was the snow fence banding expert, saving enough energy to be a grill master.
Weigelts…The catering company donated supplies, equipment and, most of all help for the Food Booth.
Zanayeds…The Sports Booth has its best years with Fares at the helm.
 
HAUNTED HOUSE
People of all ages considered the NBGC’s Haunted House to be one of the best in Chicago.  It was the creation of Paul and Jean Goerner. 

GOLF OUTING
The 2021 Golf Outing is on September 20th at The Links at Carrillon (https://NBGCGolfOuting.givesmart.com).  It is the 52nd annual outing, in no small part due to the chairmanship of Arp Horvath, support of Bill Abplanalp past sponsors, including HOF’s Jim Kartheiser, Fares Zanayed, In memory of John Barrett (Tom Wenholz) and Frank Hashimoto.
 
FUN RUN
Fares Zanayed came up with the idea of the NBGC Fun Run (Walk), which travelled through Revere and Horner Park a few years ago.  The 2nd Annual Virtual Fun Run is THIS SATURDAY, AUGUST 28TH (https://NBGC5K.givesmart.com).
 
BEARS BASH AND CUBS ROOFTOP
NBGC has always cheered on the Bears and the Cubs…and the White Sox, Bulls and Hawks.  Thanks to HOFs Jim Morici and Frank Hashimoto for their endless support of these events.
 
MOMS, DADS AND ALUMNI
An upcoming blog post will be dedicated to the support and events of the Moms, Dads and Alumni!!!

Jack Pittges
Daggers 1957 Reunion (click)
​Arena Football (click)
USFL Football (click)

Elma Stone
Carnival Diplomat (click) 
Carnival Diplomat_more (click)
Grandmother of Future Member(click)

​

2011 Anniversary and Hall of Fame Program (click) 

Below are pictures and links to just a few of the many articles these Hall of Fame members are mentioned.  The entire Monkeyshine, Report, Chatter, etc is included to experience the context of their mention.

Robert Buehler
Junior Leaders Visit Galena (click)
55 Years Review...Club name change, fishing, Mayor of Galena, birthday, Loyola trustee, etc. (click)

The link below, to the video entitled "A Great Ride". includes testimonials by several alum to Robert Buehler.

​Dick Valentin
Letter to Parents During WWII (click)
55 Years Review...Rose Bowl, alligator, original clubhouse (click)
Memorial in Monkeyshines (click)
​

ANNIVERSARIES
​In a few months the Neighborhood Boys & Girls Club will celebrate its 90th Anniversary.  It is a custom for club alum and their families from all eras to gather every five years and spend an evening of reacquainting, reminiscing and reveling with stories of days gone by.

Records show the tradition began in 1940.  At the time the event was called the "Father and Son Banquet".  The program from the 1941 event indicates it was the Second Annual.

​1941 Father and Son Banquet

As the club's success continued, so did the celebrations.  Banquet halls were full of NBGCers, some seeing teammates for the first time in many years, others still active in current club programs, having a night out with family and friends.  In 2006, when the club celebrated its Diamond Anniversary, the program was a bound book, including summaries of each decade.

Diamond Anniversary Book Excerpt The 1930's

HALL OF FAME
In 2011, as part of the 80th Anniversary celebration, NBGC inducted the first eight members to its newly established Hall of Fame.  The inductees included; Robert Buehler, Dick Valentin, Richard Brandon, Fr. Ray Baumhart, Jim Kartheiser, Bob Hoellen, Gene Schulter and Ralph Stahl.

A combined Anniversary and Hall of Fame Induction celebration has been an annual event ever since.  There are currently 60 members of the Hall of Fame. ​

April 18th -24th is Volunteer Appreciation Week! In honor of the thousands of volunteers that have walked through our doors, we are sharing some of the ways in which volunteers have had a lasting impact on the NBGC.
Stewardship volunteers 
The majority of our stewardship volunteers come from our Board of Directors. These individuals commit to serving the club as a director, ensuring effective planning, monitoring and strengthening programs and services, protecting assets and providing financial oversight, and working to enhance the mission and purpose of NBGC. Two years ago, we began the NBGC Associate Board. This board of young professionals dedicate time, talents, and treasures to the club and work to increase the brand awareness and fundraising capabilities of the NBGC.
 
Members of the Board of Directors and some Associate Board members participate in a working committee.  These committees provide strategic oversight to the organization.  Working committees include:  Executive, Nominating, Finance, Programs, Marketing, Resource Development, Property, Compensation, Technology, and Personnel.  These committees assist NBGC in planning for events, enhancing our building and services, and improving leadership as well as marketing and communications.

Board of Directors

Associate Board

Other stewardship volunteers- those that help to enhance the mission and vision of NBGC through strategic planning- come through our Alumni Association and our Parent’s Club. There are over 10,000 current NBGC alumni, many of whom will come together to attend events or volunteer at the clubhouse. The Parent’s Club (at one point the Mother’s Club) also works in collaboration with NBGC to provide feedback for ways to improve the NBGC as well as volunteer their time and energies to promoting the NBGC in the community.
 
Program volunteers 
Among some our most integral volunteers are our program volunteers. These individuals serve the NBGC as coaches, and in programming during holidays and events, such as Thanksgiving Day, the pep rally, and the Easter Egg Hunt. In the past, these volunteers have also assisted as band and choir directors as well as at track meets and tournaments.

​Volunteers have also been crucial in raising funds for renovations and repairs through capital campaigns and building appeals. These individuals worked to secure funding that would ensure that our building was best able to serve our members.

Corporate volunteers 
NBGC is always excited to share the mission and vision of our club with others. One way that we do this is through our corporate volunteer program. Through partnerships with MB Financial, Shepard Schwartz & Harris, LinkedIn, LAZ Parking, Comcast, and others, we have welcomed volunteers that have assisted with our daily operations and learned more about the impactful work that we are doing.  Corporations also invite our leaders to visit their corporate offices to learn more about other job careers and teach them interview tips and best practices.
 
Psst… would your corporation or business like to volunteer with the NBGC? We’d love to have you! Email info@nbgc.org for more information!

​Day-to-day volunteers 
NBGC welcomes volunteers on a regular basis to assist with mailings, equipment moving projects, cleaning, and repairs around the club.

We are so grateful to have a community that is committed to the NBGC. We know that we could not make the impact that we do without them. From fundraising to cheering on our youth, we rely on countless individuals being generous with their time and resources to do the work that we do.

We are so excited to be posting to NBGC’s first ever blog! We are motivated to have a platform to share our history and for our 10,000 plus alumni to have a way to connect with one another.
​
This blog will primarily focus on NBGC’s 90-year history and feature information that has been compiled by our Archives Committee, that consists of Ray Sugrue (1960’s, Bobcats), Tom Krier (1960’s Wasps, 1970’s Leader), Peter Maxfield (Hall of Famer & Former Board President), Bill Pittges, and Tom Van Den Bosch (Current Board President, Alum, & Hall of Famer).

As an introduction to this new form of communication, we’d like to reflect on all the ways that NBGC has communicated in our 90-year history and share with you how to access past publications online. Many of our alumni will remember weekly Monkeyshines and Alumni Chatter mailings, but only some will be familiar with the service papers and the parent reporter.

The Monkeyshine: 1932-Present
The Monkeyshines is our longest standing publication, starting shortly after the beginning of the club, at that time called the “Anakigig Boys Club.” The paper actually did not have a name “Monkeyshine” when it was first published on September 2, 1932. Monkeyshine was added as a name for the publication shortly after. The Monkeyshines is a weekly member-written newspaper that covers athletic league standings, club updates, and highlights from the past week. The Monkeyshines is still in circulation today, with over 4,000 total issues made and printed since the publication was created. Today, NBGC youth leaders write and print the Monkeyshines, which is still published weekly.

You can view many of our Monkeyshines publications online here.

The Service Papers: 1942-1945
The second publication to be introduced to NBGC were the Service Papers, which began during WWII in 1942. Many Neighborhood Boys Club (NBC, subsequently the Neighborhood Boys & Girls Club) Alumni served our country during World War II. Their experience as NBC members unified them throughout the challenges they faced in the War. This in part was accomplished through NBC publication called the Service Paper. As the Service Paper gained popularity, lists of NBC alumni that were missing in action or killed were circulated. Parents and friends provided information to ensure that all former NBC members were sent updates about their friends fighting in other places. Letters came from all over the world. NBC alumni would share their experiences in the war, writing into the Service Paper with updates about themselves, meeting fellow alumni overseas, and expressing sympathies and remembrances of alumni who were killed in action.
During the war, The Monkeyshine also gave death notices and updates on the alumni that were involved in the war effort. The Monkeyshine continued to report about servicemen in later years and subsequent wars. The Service Paper was such an inspiration to NBC alum throughout that world that it was the impetus for the start of the NBC Alumni Association, which is now known as the NBGC Alumni Association.

You can view some of the Service Papers here.

The Alumni Chatter: 1945-Present
The Alumni Chatter became a way for alumni to receive updates about the Club and about one another when the war was over. This publication is sent to Alumni all across the country who want to stay connected to NBGC. Each issue features program updates, a letter from the Executive Director, information about upcoming events, and pictures and highlights of the past few months.

You can view Alumni Chatters dating back to 2013 here.

The Parent Reporter: 1950s-1980s
The parent reporter was another regular publication of the club, then the Neighborhood Boys Club, that was sent four times a year to keep parents connected to the club. In the first issue of the Parent reporter, the editor notes that “the purpose of the "Reporter" is to better acquaint [friends and parents] with not only the activities in which the boys participate but also the many activities in which mothers and fathers take part in an effort to maintain the high standards of this organization.”


Social Media: 2000-Present
Perhaps the most commonly used form of communication now used is social media. NBGC now sends out updates on our Facebook and Instagram pages about the clubhouse, upcoming events, and current members. NBGC also sends out monthly “E-Newsletters” to supporters and parents that give more information about programs, ways to be involved, and events to attend.

​You can follow us on Social Media here: