Nebraska-Iowa

Danny Woodhead may not be the biggest player in the National Football League, but he’s one of the biggest inspirations to the boys and girls at Boys Town. Woodhead shared his message of “sticking with it” as the special guest at the 2011 Boys Town Booster Banquet Tuesday, May 3.

Powerful, destructive forces are tearing our families apart.

Boys Town’s In-Home Family Services^SM program is providing parents with the skills they need to ward off destructive behaviors  and create a safe and successful home life for their children.

As you’ve entered the Village of Boys Town, you may have noticed the ‘100 Best Communities for Young People’ seal that dons the lampposts near the entrance. But what you might not know is that this seal honors the hard work and dedication of the Boys Town community to the future of youth – an honor the Village of Boys Town has received from America’s Promise Alliance four times.

On the Boys Town Nebraska/Iowa campus, the Music Hall was a packed house December 5 as the crowd gathered to watch Boys Town students perform “The Gift of the Magi,” a touching depiction of the Christmas story, featuring music and carols.

After the performance, everyone began to make their way to the tree and nativity scene just down the street from the Music Hall. Father Peter and Father Boes led the audience in more Christmas Carols and updated the crowd on Santa’s whereabouts.

Boys Town received over $3,200 in donations from the Panda Express grand opening on Wednesday, September 22, 2010 in Papillion.

The first 100 guests received a free reusable tote, and anyone who donated to Boys Town got a free 2-entrée plate. Tracy Truong, Panda Express Marketing Coordinator, said the restaurant gave out 1379 free meals to donors and collected the largest donation the company has raised at a grand opening event.

Boys Town fans had several reasons to cheer on Friday night, with a 33-7 win against the Mount Michael Knights and a record $116,000 donation from the Boys Town Boosters to kick off an exciting football season. 

The proceeds of the donation are from May’s Booster Banquet which featured keynote speaker Gale Sayers, a former Chicago Bears running back and three-time MVP. The donation will be used to advance athletics as a vital part of Boys Town life.

On opposite sides of a closed door stood two groups. On one side were Cargill plant employees who had just finished assembling bicycles as part of a team-building exercise. On the other were dozens of Boys Town youth.

When the door swung open, it was impossible to know who was more surprised.

Boys Town kids saw shiny new bicycles of every size and color, put together just for them. The Cargill employees saw dozens of smiling, ecstatic faces racing toward the gifts they had just made.

Boys Town tasted the sweet generosity and support of the College World Series®  on June 29 with the donation of $10,000 from Reese’s® brand, the Official Candy Partner of the NCAA®,  and HyVee.

The corporations pledged a $200 donation for every homerun hit during the NCAA® College World Series®, with a minimum donation of $10,000.  As a proud supporter of the CWS, Boys Town has hosted teams for practice and is proud to have been chosen by Reese’s® and HyVee as their official charitable partner of the College World Series.

Smiles were shining bright and tears were shed as more than 90 boys and girls graduated from Boys Town High School May 23. 

“Our 2010 Graduation was a memorable experience,” said Dr. Bob Gehringer, Boys Town Nebraska/Iowa High School Principal. “The seniors received their diplomas to great rounds of well deserved applause from the standing room only audience.”

After overcoming obstacles many of us cannot even image, three Boys Town girls recently received scholarships to attend Creighton University in the Fall of 2010. Creighton is a private university known for educating and preparing students who are interested in the health care, law and education fields, just to name a few.

Maya, Taylor and Karly worked hard for this next step in their future, and they each have their own story of how Boys Town helped get them to this next step. Read their stories below.