2007 ANNUAL CHAIRMAN'S UPDATE

12/11/2007

Dear members,

Season's greetings! As 2007 comes to a close, I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued support of the club and provide you with a brief update of our activities on behalf of your children. OBGC continues to grow and is providing sport programs to nearly 7,000 children and 2,800 families and is currently supported by over 800 volunteers, two full-time employees and four part-time employees. Over the last 6 years, the number of children that participate in OBGC's programs and events has grown by nearly 100%. This past year, we hosted over 150,000 children, parents, grandparents and friends at the Park. The Board extends its heartfelt thanks to the hundreds of volunteers, our current staff and the parents that help make OBGC Community Park at Freeman Fields a special experience for children.

OBGC's mission is to provide after-school sports programs that emphasize the physical and emotional development of children, builds their self-esteem and cultivates a life-long interest in sports, health and teamwork.

On behalf of the Board of Directors, I am pleased to provide you with some of the club's results and accomplishments:

Parent Surveys continue to show high marks for all aspects of the club: OBGC monitors the experiences our children have while participating in our programs. These detailed surveys are sent to every household each season and measure parent satisfaction in every aspect of the club. Survey results allow the Board and staff to monitor the experience our children and families are having in the club and make adjustments to sports, coaches or current club policies, as warranted. Over the years, the surveys have created transparency in our activities and provide a great mechanism for collecting continual feedback and ideas from families. This past Fall, we received 704 responses to our survey. Of the 659 parents that answered the survey question asking "if their child enjoyed the program", 96% agreed that their children did. Of the 667 members that responded to the questions asking "if their coach and team displayed good sportsmanship and teamwork", 98% of parents believe they did and 96% felt "their child's coach helped build their child's self-esteem". 96% believe the coach had the right temperament for coaching. We also survey our parent's satisfaction with team pictures, communications, concessions, facilities, safety, coaches training, Board, and many other aspects of the club of which all rated the club's performance at similarly high levels.

OBGC was re-certified under the Maryland Nonprofits' Standards for Excellence. OBGC is one of the 73 nonprofits out of 22,000 in the State to have achieved this "Seal of Excellence". The Standards of Excellence is a rigorous examination of OBGC's ethics and accountability, and serves as reassurance that OBGC is being managed at the highest level. By participating in the program and volunteering to offer our organizational practices up for independent peer scrutiny, we are assuring our members that all aspects of the club are being managed to the highest standards and we are helping to set a standard that other non-profits can follow.

Improved the Quality of our Programs. OBGC hired a new full-time Assistant Director to help expand our coaches' training programs, develop a coach's handbook and assist with the management of the many events the club hosts for children. In 2007, the Board voted to expand its health and training program to include more extensive skills training and to develop a comprehensive handbook to help coaches get acclimated to their volunteer role. These initiatives were kicked off in the fall as Dan Harwood hosted a hands-on skills program for 60 basketball coaches and the soccer program distributed the first set of coach's handbooks. These initiatives will be replicated for all sports in the coming seasons to both improve a coach's knowledge of their sport and create a more consistent experience for our children across sports and teams.

Dedicated a Tree in memory of Josh Freeman. OBGC lost one of its friends and founding donors and was proud to plant and dedicate Josh's favorite tree in the heart of the Park that is named after Josh's father. The tree was planted in celebration of Josh's life and contributions to the community. The Park was named "Freeman Fields" after Josh's father, Carl M. Freeman, when Josh made a $1.25 million donation in his name to help build the Park.

Matched the remaining $400,000 State Grant. In 2006, OBGC initiated a public capital campaign to win a $400,000 matching grant from the State of Maryland to be applied to safety and accessibility improvements at the Park for our children, grandparents and individuals with disabilities. In 2007, we raised the capital needed to match and receive the grant and we installed many features to better protect children and their families and create better access. OBGC is continuing to raise money for much needed scholarship programs for kids and capital projects.

Hosted record-breaking crowds at the Field of Screams. This year's event drew more than 13,000 visitors who enjoyed a Haunted Trail, Corn Maze, Hayride, Funnel Cakes, Fried Twinkies and S'mores cooked over open fires. Numerous volunteers have helped the club develop very successful "community-based" fundraiser, while also creating a community and family tradition for all to enjoy.

Challengesfor 2008: The growth of the club has lead to challenges at the Park with regard to parking. Your survey responses were helpful in collecting ideas on how we might approach solving this issue for the Spring - thank you. We continue to pursue the need for a new gym to be built in Olney. Our children are forced to practice late at night on school nights due to the high demand for gym time. We continue to explore more ways that OBGC can contribute to the growth and development of our children, consistent with the Club's mission. We continue to improve methods for better implementing the best non-profit management practices that are availableand to ensure the highest levels of trust and accountability in the organization.

On behalf of the Board of Directors and staff, thank you for your continued support of OBGC. Best wishes to you and your family for a safe, healthy and happy holiday season.

Best regards,

Dan Dionisio

Chairman

OBGC Board of Directors:

Ken Barksdale

Susan Filocco

Kevin Johnson

Harvey Metro

Dave Muir

Steve Norcio

John Pascoe

Harvey Reich

Wendy Post

Staff:

Kim Blackwell, Registrar

Ken Bradford, Assistant Director

Elisabeth Deal, Executive Director

JoAnna Jacob, Administrative Assistant

Diana McMahan, Concessions Manager

Pam Ryan, Bookkeeper