Empowering Kids and Building Leaders: Your Local Boys & Girls Clubs

For more than 158 years the Boys & Girls Clubs of America have been serving America’s youth. It is a name that is recognized across the nation, but how does it impact our communities today? They’re busy empowering kids and building leaders!

“We offer a safe, positive place for kids to become accomplished, caring, productive citizens,” says Noam Zimin, Executive Director of the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Siskiyous. Based in Mount Shasta and opened in June of 2017, this club is a new addition to the community. In just over one year’s time, they have served 387 members, most of whom are children in second through sixth grade. Offering after-school programs and summer programs, the Boys & Girls Clubs is a very low-cost option for working parents, helping to bridge the time gap between the end of the school day and the end of the workday.

More importantly, the Club empowers children, keeping them engaged in positive activities after school – thus keeping them from engaging in less-than-positive activities elsewhere. Because of the inherent beauty of the area, the Boys & Girls Club of the Siskiyous tries to bring nature to its programs whenever possible. It partners with the Forest Service and also has a Garden-to-Table program. The BGC has art programs, including one which utilizes a local pottery studio at Sisson Middle School where the club located. This partnership with Mt. Shasta School District also lets the club co-share other areas in the middle school for its programs. The City of Mt. Shasta recognized the club for these efforts to reach children in the community, awarding it the title of “Non-Profit of the Year.”

Nine-year-old Skye Biel has spent three years with the Boys & Girls Club. Her favorite activity is playing soccer against other clubs. Skye says, “I get to spend more time with my friends after school and the staff is really cool.” Her mother Valerie agrees, “The staff is absolutely wonderful with all the kids. Skye begs me to pick her up as close to closing time as possible.” Skye enjoys the experience and has even been given responsibilities as “junior staff,” mentoring the “littles,” as she calls the kids younger than her.

Theresa Halford, who takes her grandson, Jayden Barber, to the club in Mt. Shasta, says, “I believe Jayden gets team building skills, friendship, and the opportunity to try so many things with the Boys & Girls Club. He looks forward to going every day, and always has fun and positive stories to tell when he gets home. If you have a chance to send your child, you won’t regret it!”

In Butte and Glenn Counties, The Boys & Girls Clubs of the North Valley have 10 different facilities to help serve the youth of Chico, Paradise, Magalia, Oroville and Hamilton City. There are Teen Centers in Chico, Oroville and Paradise. The Chico Ostrander Clubhouse is for younger members. The BGC has locations on the ridge at Ponderosa Elementary School, Paradise Elementary school, Paradise Intermediate School and Pine Ridge School. Hamilton Elementary School hosts the branch in Hamilton City. Oroville also has a facility located inside Butte County Juvenile Hall. This club, one of only a dozen or so similar clubs nationwide, works hard to encourage and empower young people to make better choices once they leave detainment. Impressively, recidivism amongst members after leaving is nearly 70% lower than for those who did not take the opportunity to join.

The North Valley Club served an average of 830 members per day and had more than 1,900 members in 2017. It also served up over 86,000 meals. Between homework tutoring, activities and community engagement, the kids have helpful and well-trained folks to teach them positive life skills and simply offer hope while filling the gaps where families and agencies fail.

Private First Class Quinntin Poteet, a 20-year-old  who is currently in an Army Infantry Airborne unit, was a member of the Boys & Girls Club from sixth grade through high school in Magalia and Paradise. He says, “The programs at BGC taught me discipline and helped me a lot. The staff also taught me a lot of life lessons.” He also has a message for parents, “Send your kids to BGC and they will make life-long friends, great memories and learn a great deal about life.”

The primary challenge that faces the Boys & Girls Clubs is funding. According to Events/Marketing Director Alex Beehner, “People often think that because it is a nationally recognized name that Boys & Girls Clubs of America funds us.” He says that simply isn’t true. Only around 1% of funding for the clubs comes from the national organization. The low fees paid by members account for about 8% of the funding. The bulk of their funding comes from government grants and, most importantly, donations from individuals and businesses in the communities which they serve. Alex says, “we have over 200 kids in Chico alone, on a waiting list to join, simply due to funding limitations.” Local clubs could really use local support to help in their mission to reach and empower more children and young people in our communities.

The Boys & Girls Clubs endeavor to empower members to reach their potential and become caring, productive members of their community. Mackenzie Curlee, now 20 years old, was the Paradise “Youth of the Year” in 2016. Her journey exemplifies this empowerment. “Before I started at the Boys & Girls Clubs, I was very shy, and I mostly kept to myself. Within a few months, the staff and members helped me break out of my shell. I started to get more involved and take on more of a role model/ leadership role.” During her seven years at the Boys & Girls Clubs, she got involved in various programs, such as the Keystone program where she served in various positions over the years, from historian to president. “I also loved the Teens’  Grubbin’ program, which I was in charge of because it allowed me to be creative and make food for everyone who was there.” That’s the empowerment path, from uber-shy introvert to natural-born leader.

The Boys & Girls Clubs are great places for all children in our communities, but they are also great places for adults to volunteer. If you are interested in learning more about volunteer opportunities, visit the website.