Azout Clubs

Boca Raton, Fl (PRWEB) November 11, 2011

Bluegreen Vacations, a leading provider of Colorful Places to Play, today announced that its Branson, Mo., resort, The Falls Village, is a prime location for owners to stay while attending the 78th Veteran?s Day Parade and Ceremony, November 11, 2011.

?The Annual Veterans Parade is always a blast,? said Howard Kitchen, Regional Director for Bluegreen Corporation. ?It?s a great way to say thank you to our Veterans, and gives our owners the opportunity to see part of Branson that often times gets missed. Our Bluegreen vacation guides will be more than happy to help owners and their families participate in this event if they like.?

With almost 22 acres of land, The Falls Village is nestled in the woods amid the hills and valleys of the Ozark Mountains. Bluegreen owners looking to experience a different view of Branson should plan to attend the 78th Veteran?s Day Parade and Ceremony, located in the heart of the Historic Downtown Branson area. The event is sponsored through the American Legion Post 220, and is open to the public for free. Bluegreen owners who participate in this historic event will be part of America?s largest Veteran?s Day Parade as it burrows through downtown Branson. While downtown, owners can check out the local restaurants and shops that make Branson so unique. After the parade, attendees will have the opportunity to thank our veterans for protecting, serving and preserving American freedom. This event is sure to add to a very patriotic vacation experience.

ABOUT BLUEGREEN CORPORATION

Founded in 1966 and headquartered in Boca Raton, FL, Bluegreen Corporation (NYSE:BXG) is a leading timeshare sales, marketing and resort management company. Bluegreen Resorts manages, markets and sells the Bluegreen Vacation Club, a flexible, points-based, deeded vacation ownership plan with more than 160,000 owners, over 57 owned or managed resorts, and access to more than 4,000 resorts worldwide. Bluegreen also offers a portfolio of comprehensive, turnkey, fee-based service resort management, financial services, and sales and marketing on behalf of third parties. For more information, visit us online at http://www.bluegreencorp.com. See what Bluegreen owners are saying on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.

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Seattle, WA (PRWEB) November 10, 2011

Americans from all walks of life will unite to honor active military, veterans and military families this Veterans Day?11/11/11. Seattle will host one of 11 large- scale service events in 11 major U.S. cities on Veterans Day. It?s all part of ServiceNation?s Mission Serve initiative which brings together the civilian and military communities through service and volunteerism. Americans who wish to volunteer in honor of those who have served in the military will also be able to log onto http://www.MissionServe.org to find other service projects in the region.

This year, the series of national projects will be highlighted by a high-profile social media component, led by prominent celebrities Dwayne Johnson and Miley Cyrus, who will mobilize their 50 million Twitter and Facebook followers to spread the word about the Mission Serve initiative and serve in support of active military, veterans, and military families.

On 11/11/11, join the Veterans Conservation Corps, the Sierra Club, Warrior Gateway and Service Nation for the second annual Veterans Day at Hamm Creek Estuary event. For the past two decades Hamm Creek has been transformed into a more natural setting, in addition it has been a focal point in veteran healing and transition. Today Hamm Creek is home to several species of wildlife including Beaver, Bald eagle, Osprey, and Salmon. Hamm Creek Estuary embodies the struggles veterans face in their transition into civilian life and the promise of a better tomorrow through hard work, perseverance and teamwork. Through this project we hope to build a stronger community, one blackberry and one volunteer at a time. Anyone is welcome to join us beginning at 10am, with work starting at 11am.

?Service has become a meeting place for veterans and civilians,? said Chris Marvin, a former Blackhawk helicopter pilot, who was wounded in Afghanistan. ?Both communities understand and embrace service, and as we welcome a growing population of veterans returning from combat, it is imperative that our communities engage them by challenging them to serve here at home. Our veterans are civic assets, not only because of the service they have given overseas, but also because of how they are willing to serve in our communities. We firmly believe that the integration of the military and civilian communities begins with shared service.? Marvin is currently director of Civilian-Military Partnerships for Service Nation.

Founded in 2009, Warrior Gateway connects individuals in the military community withorganizations and programs (non-profit, government, educational or employment-related) in their neighborhood that are there to support them. Warrior Gateway, and its G.I. Network program, harnesses state-of-the art technology and community collaboration to help today?s veterans make better decisions about what service providers they can go to for help, and have a public forum to share their experiences about the quality and effectiveness of those services. This innovation was recognized with a Federal Computer Week Fed-100 award for significant contributions to the Federal IT community in 2011.

“We are honored to partner with ServiceNation to support the 11/11/11 service projects in Seattle,” said Devin B. Holmes, CEO of Warrior Gateway. “We know that connecting military and civilian communities is an important part of the veterans’ reintegration process. Our mission at Warrior Gateway is to help the military community and their families connect with meaningful resources in their local communities; being involved with a signature initiative like this allows Warrior Gateway to create valuable connections for successful transitions.”

ServiceNation is proud to welcome Bank of America as the National Corporate Partner for this series of events.

For more information on the 2011 Mission Serve Veterans Day and how you can support it, please go to http://www.MissionServe.org.

To learn more about Warrior Gateway, please visit http://www.WarriorGateway.org.

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Atlanta, GA (PRWEB) October 29, 2011

For 20 years, Boys & Girls Clubs of America (http://www.bgca.org) has been providing the children of American military families? vital services and programs ? wherever they are stationed around the world. Since 1991, children have had access to on-base Youth Centers that offer the same guidance and proven programs – focusing on academic success, good character and citizenship and healthy living – provided by traditional Boys & Girls Clubs across the United States.

?Children of military families face more than the usual challenges of growing up, from moving and re-establishing friendships every few years to worrying about family members who have been deployed,? says Terrill Wicks, vice president, Military Services & International Projects for Boys & Girls Clubs of America.

As the military deploys troops in and out of multiple active combat zones, BGCA?s traditional Clubs also assist families with the transition to civilian life, especially when the youth has a wounded, ill, or injured parent.

The Next Five Years

With the just-announced plan to have all U.S. troops out of Iraq by the end of this year, and the goal of drawing down the U.S. military presence in Afghanistan over the next five years, BGCA?s mission will adapt accordingly. The influx of military parents returning from war is expected to result in a corresponding rise in mental health issues for both youth and parents.

BGCA training and support will focus more on that area, and the organization plans to increase community support through traditional Clubs. Staff will assist families with the transition to civilian life, especially when children have a wounded, ill or injured parent.

What the Youth Centers Offer

From teen leadership groups to fine arts exhibitions, BGCA-affiliated Youth Centers give members a safe haven to learn and grow. The military Youth Center is a positive place that offers a wide variety of educational, recreational, cultural and social activities. Using a comprehensive youth development strategy, caring, trained staff provide guidance in helping girls and boys to:

????Discover needs and pursue interests
????Nurture talents
????Broaden viewpoints and dissolve prejudices
????Resolve conflicts
????Set goals
????Develop better sense of self

A History of Service

Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s partnership with the military began in 1991 during the Persian Gulf War. As parents in the Reserves and National Guard were deployed overseas, BGCA asked local Clubs to reach out to children in need, providing memberships and special programming to some 17,000 youth.

Over the next two decades BGCA worked with the Department of Defense to develop formal partnerships to extend the program to each branch of the Armed Forces — Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard. Today the program is thriving across all fronts, with 386 Youth Centers serving almost 460,000 children in the United States and 15 different countries.

?Military children are resilient and proud of their parents? service. The changes in the type of wars our country fights, and the multiple deployments that go along with that, require us to re-focus the support we provide to military youth,? says Wicks. ?This is particularly important during the deployment and reintegration process, where we must sustain and strengthen their resiliency.?

A Sense of Continuity

Youth Centers are there to help, providing stability and a sense of place. Most military parents are redeployed every two to three years, creating a challenge for their children to settle in and make friends. The consistent Boys & Girls Club programs at every military installation Youth Center address that issue, so youth see familiar services, programs and resources no matter where their family is deployed.

And because military families are located in every community, especially now that more than 75 percent of them live off-base, Boys & Girls Clubs everywhere open their doors to children of all military families. The Clubs give these young people a safe place to go, staffed with caring adults who provide relief.

BGCA Military Programs – By the Numbers

Youth Served by Service

????Air Force: 141,052
????Army: 227,407
????Marine Corps: 22,982
????Navy: 66,722
????Coast Guard: 831
????Countries: 15
????Total Youth Served: 460,000

About Boys & Girls Clubs of America

For more than 100 years, Boys & Girls Clubs of America (GreatFutures.org) has enabled young people most in need to achieve great futures as productive, caring, responsible citizens. Today, nearly 4,000 Clubs serve some 4 million young people through Club membership and community outreach. Clubs are located in cities, towns, public housing and on Native American lands throughout the country and on U.S. military installations worldwide. They provide a safe place, caring adult mentors, fun and friendship, and high-impact youth development programs on a daily basis during critical non-school hours.

Club programs promote academic success, good character and citizenship, and healthy lifestyles. In a Harris Survey of alumni, 57 percent said the Club saved their lives. National headquarters are located in Atlanta. Learn more at http://bgca.org/facebook and http://bgca.org/twitter.

Contact: Mitch Leff, (404) 861-4769, mitch(at)leffassociates(dot)com

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