Boys and Girls Club of America is a national organization that provides a place for youth to go and reach their full potential as productive, caring, and responsible citizens. The goal of the organization is to be a safe space for children to go when they are not in school and to help every child that enters their doors to reach their full potential.
There is a Boys and Girls Club located in the City of Binghamton, and it is a space for youth ages 5 to 18. They have afterschool programs that run from 3pm-7pm, and they have activities for teens on Fridays and Saturdays that help to keep teenagers off the streets. They also provide services on Snow Days and School Holidays to ensure that these kids have someone to care for them while their parents are at work.
This organization is especially important in the Binghamton area because of the high poverty rates among children. In the City of Binghamton there is a 47% poverty rate among the youth, which is almost half of the children in the area. This club provides a caring, fun, and healthy space for kids. They have designated time to work on their homework, do arts and crafts, play games in the gym, and play in the rec room. The Club also provides a healthy dinner every evening, which is essential because many kids would go to sleep hungry if they didn’t have this meal.
The Club is also a space where these young kids are learning how to be responsible and caring individuals. Not everyone has strong role models to look up to at home, and it is important that kids have people in their lives that they are able to turn to for advice. At the Club the kids are taught right vs. wrong and they have mentors to model themselves after.
The goal of the club is to provide children with the resources necessary to grow up and become successful. The national high school graduation rate is 84.6% and about 69.5% go on to college. 97% of the Clubs teens expect to graduate high school and 88% expect to complete some post-secondary education. Many of the Clubs are located in areas of poverty, where statistically less students graduate, so it is even more impactful that their rates of graduation are so high.
This Club is successful in providing students with a safe caring place to go and opportunities for growth. This is so important in the Binghamton area where many students have limited places to turn to for a safe space and support. There is a high rate of drug use in the area, with Broome County being the fourth highest county in NYS with meth lab seizures. In order to keep teenagers from getting involved in gang relationships, crime, drugs, and teen pregnancy it is important they have somewhere to go and proper guidance to keep them away from these activities that are detrimental to their futures.
I personally volunteer at the Boys and Girls Club in Binghamton at least once a week, and I have seen the huge impact this organization has on these children. This makes me believe in their mission and want to support them. A lot of children have difficulties at home and the influence this has on their well-being is visible. The guidance provided by the Club helps them to have a space to learn and grow, as well as a place where they know they are always welcome and loved. Our money would go towards helping run the facility and continuing to serve these children in need at the local Binghamton Club. The money we donate would directly help children in the local area that need support, and we would be able to see the impact we have on the lives of our future.
-Nicole McGrath
I loved your presentation, and thought the idea of supporting a local community organization like this is a great way to help children out. I think that helped children with basic needs such as learning simple life skills like responsibility and deciphering what right from wrong is. I also thought it was ideal to implement this sort of organization in poorer areas. Due to the fact that high school graduation rates are lower in poor neighborhoods, this organization would help ensure children get a better start to life while also learning simple skills. Having an environment that promotes children to live the best lives they can is a wonderful idea and should be supported at any and all times. Thank you again for presenting such a great organization to our class this morning!
ReplyDeleteNicole, the picture of you and the girls added that bit of personal touch that was enough to draw me back into my afterschool program days. I recall that my afterschool and summer programs kept me entertained and busy while my parents worked late nights and were unable to have any other sitter pick me up. After listening to your charity pitch, I became aware of the connections I was able to build because of my programs and I can only imagine that the kids in the Boys and Girls Club of Binghamton will have the same thoughts in their later years. The club serves as an escape from the streets, drugs, negative influences, and more often than not, toxic households. What struck me the most of your pitch had to be that the Boys and Girls Club of Binghamton offers dinners every evening to the kids. My program provided snacks that included small cartons of milk, cookies, and saran-wrapped sandwiches and I can vividly remember how some of my friends tucked away extra cartons of milk for their family back at home or extra sandwiches for their younger siblings to eat at home. It’s sad that many kids go to sleep hungry and even sadder that parents have to accept that they can’t fully be there for their kids. This organization is more than a club for kids but space where families can be granted a sense of relief and security that their children are being empowered and cared for properly.
ReplyDeleteGabriella