Tuesday, July 29, 2014
Staff report
YOUNGSTOWN
On Thursday, the Boys and Girls Club of Youngstown will launch the Great Futures Campaign, an initiative to mobilize the community in support of children and empower Youngstown’s youths to achieve success.
The club will start the campaign at 12:30 p.m. at the Southside Collaborative end-of-summer program at the Henry Stambaugh Golf Course on Gypsy Lane.
The club will join New Bethel Baptist Church, St. Dominic Parish, Horizon Science Academy, McGuffey Centre and Ebony Ladies Golf League to issue a local call-to-action on the crises facing local youths and draw attention to the critical importance of out-of-school time.
During the ceremony, the collaborative will celebrate the success of the summer program made possible by United Way of Mahoning Valley. The Boys and Girls Club of Youngstown’s drumline also will perform.
In a press release, the club says it is redefining the opportunity equation for kids by elevating the critical role out-of-school time plays in a child’s chance to have a great future.
As a leading advocate for youths in the Youngstown area, Boys and Girls Club is committed to ensuring that every child has access to a safe place after school and during the summer where they can build the knowledge, skills and behaviors to put them on the path to a great future, the release says.
Every weekday, Boys and Girls Club of Youngstown, 2105 Oak Hill Ave., on the South Side, provides nearly 125 kids with outcome-driven programs designed to increase their performance in the areas of education enhancement, healthy lifestyles and character development.
Throughout the school year, the club will advocate on behalf of children and convene public, private and nonprofit partners around a goal of ensuring every child and teen has access to a safe, engaging and productive environment during out-of-school time.
For information about the campaign and Boys and Girls Club of Youngstown, contact Germaine McAlpine, unit director, by emailing germaine.mcalpine@yahoo.com, or calling 330-782-2714.