On Wednesday, June 19, representatives from the Taco Bell Foundation visited the Branson facility of Boys & Girls Clubs of the Ozarks, where they presented a $40,000 check from the Foundation to support BGCO in providing valuable assistance to young people in the community. Several staff and managers from area franchise locations were also on hand for the presentation, which included a tour of the Branson club for a close-up look at how the funds are used.
Matthew Parry of K-Mac Enterprises, which has several Taco Bell restaurants across the Ozarks, said he was excited about his first visit to the Branson Club to see the many great educational programs in process. During the tour, the guests were able to see young people participating in a Torch Club meeting, which provides foundational career development skills for middle-school-aged youth as they conduct meetings according to proper parliamentary procedures and participate in service projects in and around the club facilities. The Keystone Club for high school youth takes the process even further, incorporating on-site service in the community and a virtual reality career exploration system. The program is also a win-win as older teens can get part-time jobs, helping area businesses connect with potential employees. The guests were also able to chat with youth during a career-exploration session; along with watching a teen use the virtual reality set-up, they engaged in conversation, reminding the young people that connecting with businesses like Taco Bell as a teen can lead to a rewarding career. The current Taco Bell CEO started as a 16-year-old employee, and a management team member from right in Branson is a former Boys & Girls Club attendee.
Boys & Girls Clubs of the Ozarks is one of more than 450 youth-focused groups that will receive community grants from the Foundation this year. The grants are partly funded by the generosity of customers who round up their purchases at the restaurant, something that is available at several area restaurant locations and doesn’t take much time or even much money per donor, but really adds up if everyone gets on board.
Learn more about the Taco Bell Foundation at
See these valuable programs in action for yourself by scheduling a visit to an area club, and see how you can get involved by visiting https://www.bgcozarks.org.