CLUB: Facility wants to expand programs

By Aleasha Sandley

September 05, 2008 10:30 pm

— ANDERSON — Wilson Boys & Girls Club is asking the community to help it “Be Great.”
As school gets under way and the club introduces new programs to its students, the staff will kick off its “Be Great Week of Celebration” to give Anderson residents a chance to help the club raise funds.
“It will give the Anderson community the opportunity to help us to do some of the great things we’ve done in the area of academics, sports, music, drama and physical health,” club Director Rodney Nichols said.
A large part of the Boys & Girls Club mission is to tutor and mentor children. During its summer camp this year, the club engaged children in academic endeavors, and so far this fall, tutoring programs have exceeded the number of students the club started out with last year.
“It’s already proving to have a very positive impact on the youth,” Nichols said. “They’re coming in excited about education and learning and taking advantage of that tutoring/mentoring program.”
Big premieres
New in October will be a dance program, featuring a variety of modern, praise and folk dancing. For other types of musicians, the club will offer the second year of its Music Makers program, with piano, guitar and drum lessons.
For those thinking of college, technical programming can help students get used to software they will use in higher education. A credit recovery program allows them to take high school courses that correspond to college courses, Nichols said.
New programs called Smart Girls and Passport to Manhood will teach students how to grow up to be responsible adults.
The club offers a program for adults called Family Plus, which provides workshops on communication, problem solving and relationships for parents and grandparents.
The club averages 75-80 students each day during the school year, and can help upward of 125 people per day, counting adults. The most popular programs have been the tutoring/mentoring program, career preparation and children’s field trips, Nichols said.
The club also hosts Sowers of Seeds, a new resident in the building, which offers counseling services to parents. The organization moved into the building on Sept. 1.
Little Blessings Daycare also has dedicated space within the club, starting last year and growing to 45-50 students.
Necessities of service
The club can’t keep up its programs without help from donors. With recent boiler problems and high heating costs, the club is behind in its winter utility bills, a problem Nichols hopes ths week’s events will fix.
The club has made an appeal to area churches that they will take up an offering for the Boys & Girls Club during September. On Monday, the proceeds from sales of rib tips at the Pittt Barbecue and Grill, 425 Martin Luther King Blvd., will go to the club.
A celebrity basketball game will be Tuesday at the club, 2200 W. 22nd St., with staff, board and club members taking on well-known locals.
On Friday, the club will present the gospel production “Oz?” at the Paramount Theatre. Proceeds from the show will benefit the club and the theater, another nonprofit that could use the community’s help.
“All the not-for-profits in town are in a pinch and trying to take part and be active,” said Shawn Neal, Paramount’s marketing director. “We all want to work together.”
Neal applauded the club’s efforts to keep its programs running.
“The service that they provide to the children of the community is invaluable,” he said. “(Nonprofits) are kind of the lifeblood of the city.”
A virtual golf tournament will be held through the rest of September, where four-member teams can submit a $50 registration fee to the club, play at any golf course, turn in their score and be awarded at a banquet Oct. 9. Hole sponsorships will be available for $125 in the Boys & Girls Club’s front lawn “golf course” to be on display through September.
Future plans
The club’s goal is to raise $35,000, some of which will go toward its utility bills, Nichols said.
The club is two months behind on its bills, said Anderson Board of Works Chairman Greg Graham, a total between $4,600 and $4,800.
Besides utilities, the club has big plans for the money it raises this year. It started its “Fun in the Outdoors” program this summer, which allowed youth to enjoy hiking, nature, science and biology.
The club also would like to expand its “Money Matters” program, sponsored by Charles Schwab, and allow students to actually invest money as they learn about money management, Nichols said.
Nichols is making an appeal this week to all Anderson residents to give a little for the benefit of the club. To contribute the Boys & Girls Club, stop by the club, take a tour and make a donation. The club now can take credit card donations, but those who don’t have money still have plenty of opportunities to volunteer, Nichols said.
“What we’re really trying to do is two-fold,” he said. “It’s a rally cry for the community because it’s going to take a community effort. And we would like to do more resource development, find people who are willing to contribute year after year to increase awareness on the great things being done.”
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Wilson Boys & Girls Club fundraisers
Sunday — Anderson churches are asked to take up an offering for the club at their services.
Monday — Proceeds from purchase of rib tips at The Pittt Barbecue and Grill, 425 Martin Luther King Blvd., will go to the club, 11 a.m.-6 p.m.
Tuesday — Celebrity basketball game with well-known locals versus Boys & Girls Club staff and members, 6 p.m. at the club, 2200 W. 22nd St., admission $3.
Friday — Gospel production of “Oz?” by club staff and members, 7 p.m., Paramount Theatre, 1124 Meridian Plaza, admission $11.50, part of proceeds also will benefit Paramount Theatre.
Rest of September — Virtual golf scramble tournament, any golf course, $50 registration fee and score to club; winners will be awarded at Oct. 9 ceremony. Opportunities for hole sponsors for $125 and corporate sponsors: $1,000-1,999 bronze, $2,000-2,999 silver and $3,000-5,000 gold.

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