The problems of Puerto Rico may seem daunting and intractable, but for the island members of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, their aim is true: Helping children living below the poverty level to reach their full potential. For this wonderful organization, the future glows bright. They are inspiring and they make a difference.
As you may know, Kathy and I have owned a home in Puerto Rico for 15 years. We have been deeply involved in galvanizing support for Puerto Rico in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Maria and on an ongoing basis. I have focused attention on fundraising and awareness for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Puerto Rico, the 50-year-old affiliate of the U.S. based community services organization.
Many companies have joined this effort through contributions of funds, services, charity auction items and media inventory. These include AT&T, Comcast, DISH, Disney, Extreme Reach, FOX, Modi Media/GroupM, NBC Universal, Nielsen, Teads, Telemundo, Turner, Univision, The Weather Channel, Xandr and others.
I hope you will make a tax-deductible contribution of the group via this link.
For more about the efforts of the clubs, please see this interview we did in San Juan last year with Clubs CEO Eduardo Carrera Morales.
Our Fundraising Campaign and Public Service Announcement
A team of very talented young filmmakers in San Juan have created these three, 60-second public service announcements. These poignant vignettes tell how the Club has changed the lives of each of the three individuals. These videos are in Spanish with English subtitles. These spots ran in the U.S. and Puerto Rico in October and November and has some 3.5 million household TV views, according to Nielsen.
In 2020, we will be launching a PSA campaign in English. Stay tuned and please let me know if your team can provide public service inventory for this project.
Telling the Story at the Beet Retreat in February in San Juan
We will learn about the the state of the island’s children, the efforts of the Clubs, some of us will visit a facility and raise funds through a charity auction. The Beet Retreat is February 5-7.
Happy New Year. Let’s all do what we can, in our way, to make this world a little better. It needs us.
Andy Plesser
