by Dee Dee Vickers –
On the day we visited the Boys & Girls Club of Georgetown, each child that walked through the doors was greeted with a hand slap by Daniel Anstee, Branch Director. Tired after a long day at school, and lugging heavy backpacks, the children still found a grin or a “hi” to greet Daniel as he called each one by name. Watching the procession was pretty amazing, since up to 188 children in grades 1 – 12 come through those doors each day.
For just $10.00 per school year, students in G.I.S.D. have a place to ‘hang out’ after school. Up until this past September, the Boys & Girls Club operated at two separate locations. But through a partnership with the school district, the Club is now located in part of the old Carver Elementary School.
The value and success of this worthwhile program is what led Seeds of Strength members to vote to award the Boys and Girls Club of Georgetown a $25,000 grant. Our grant is designated for the “Club Bud” mentoring program. “Club Bud” strives to match volunteers to the kids who need mentoring the most. This tends to be mostly young boys in need of role models. “Club Bud” currently has 10 volunteers; with a goal of recruiting enough volunteers to serve up to 40 children for 30 minutes per week.
Each day, Monday through Friday, the children come through the door, hot and tired after a long day in the classroom – the elementary students arriving at about 3:15 p.m., and the middle-school students coming in sometime after 4:00 p.m. After slapping hands with Daniel, or one of the other staff members, the children know that their first task is to sign in. Each boy or girl has been assigned a number, which they log in to a computer, giving the staff acknowledgement of their presence that day. Next, the students gather in the cafeteria, where they are served supper. Seated at tables by grade, they hungrily gobble down the meal. Then, grade by grade, they line up to go to different parts of the building where they will work on their homework. Staff and volunteers stay with each group to assist as needed.
Following homework time, the children can choose from a variety of activities – arts and crafts, life skills, sports, free play time, computer games – you name it, it is available to the boys and girls. Many opportunities are provided that the children would not have a chance to experience were it not for The Boys and Girls Club. There is even an ethics class, taught by George Wagner, a gentleman from Sun City that some of you may know.
The mission of the Boys & Girls Club is “to enable all young people, especially those who need us the most, to realize their full potential as productive, caring, and responsible citizens.” Our visit to the Club convinced us that Daniel Anstee and his staff are doing an excellent job of aligning their program to their mission. And it’s nice to know that the Seeds of Strength grant for “Club Bud” provides one more opportunity to support the young people of Georgetown.