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Boys & Girls Club celebrates 50th anniversary
Kids from the Boys & Girls Club Jack & Ruth Schweppe Summer Day Camp program care for baby goats as part of their rural experience at SonRidge Farm, Kings Mountain.

scheduled for Friday, July 22, 2016, starting at 6 p.m. at the LeGrand Center, 1800 E. Marion St., Shelby. The gala will feature entertainer Travis Powell along with local artists performing hits from each decade from the 1960s to today.
Distinguished speaker will be Alvin Gentry, current head coach of NBA New Orleans Pelicans. Gentry, club alumni, was recently recognized by the Boys & Girls Club of America at the National Convention by being inducted into the Alumni Hall of Fame.

How Club Got Its Start
The Boys & Girls Club of Cleveland County (BGCCC) was chartered on July 18, 1966, by the Boys Club of America after it went through the process of meeting the national standards. Before that, the BGCCC functioned as The Boys Club and was operated out of the city park. Under the direction of Jack Schweppe, Hoyt Bailey, and other community leaders, a board of directors was created to fund the organization, find a permanent home, and to hire a full-time executive director.
In 1994 the Boys Club changed its name to the Boys & Girls Club of Cleveland County when it began to accept girls into the program. Today, the club hosts a nearly 50/50 mix of boys and girls ranging in ages from kindergarten to seniors in
high school, Jack Weller, Board President says.
Hosting both boys and girls isn't the only change the BGCCC has seen through the years. The physical setting of the club has also changed from the former Lutz-Austell Funeral Home building to the current building (located at 412 West Sumter St., Shelby), which serves more than 110 kids a day.

Focus On Helping Kids - Who Need Help The Most
Each afternoon as the children arrive from school, their first hour at the club is focused on homework, says Weller. One aspect of the BGCCC that folks may not be familiar with is the club's partnerships with other area organizations, which allow children to learn about a wide variety of subjects. Organizations such as the Shelby Children's Clinic, the Carolina Healthcare System, 4H and the Agricultural Extension Service, Cleveland County Department of Health and local law enforcement agencies offer club members opportunities to take classes on knitting, to learn to write a newsletter, to become aware of bicycle safety, and to better understand the importance of making healthy life choices.
Another program is the Rural Experience for Youth, a camp that allows children to spend a week at SonRidge Farm in Kings Mountain learning about life on the farm.

Expanding Program To Help More Kids
The BGCCC has plans for new endeavors. In just a few weeks, the club will begin hosting an after-school program for children from Graham Elementary's year-round school program.
By the end of October the BGCCC will begin operating the new Mabel Hamrick Whisnant Teen Center located in the former Shelby Middle School gymnasium building.
"We are excited and pleased to be able to expand our programs to serve the children at Graham Elementary," says Joshua Propst, executive director of the BGCCC. We are getting ready to bid the Teen Center renovation contract which means a dream will become a reality."
From the past through the future, certain core doctrines have been the hallmark of the BGCCC, says Weller. "Caring staff and volunteers, along with a safe, stable environment, are what have made the club so special to children through the years," he says.
For more information about the BGCCC or about the anniversary gala activities, contact Joshua Propst by phone at 704-471-2582 or by email at joshp@bgcclevelandcounty.org

By April Hoyle Shauf


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