Children enjoying a baby goat from SonRidgeFarms. Each summer two groups of children spend a week at the camp in Kings Mountain to learn about life on the farm.

Every afternoon 15 million children in this country leave school with no place to go, putting them at serious risk. The Boys & Girls Club of Cleveland County (BGCCC) has worked to change this statistic in Cleveland County. For more than 50 years, boys and girls have come to the club on West Sumter Street for the after-school program during the school year and for the Jack & Ruth Schweppe Day Camp during the summer break. Once there, these children and teens find a safe, nurturing place where academic achievement, character building and manners are put at the forefront. These virtues are stressed while still allowing time for fun in the game room, arts and crafts area, gym and computer lab.
Now the BGCCC is asking for the community's help in making these vital programs happen every afternoon.
"The 'Great Futures Campaign' is a formula for success," says Josh Propst, BGCCC executive director. "It is based on the idea that schools paired with out-of-school programs create great futures for today's young people." The BGCCC's annual campaign is designed to inform, educate and motivate everyone in the community, Propst says. "We hope that together we can reverse the national trend of higher juvenile crime between 3-7 p.m., decrease dropout rates, and help kids learn to make healthy lifestyle choices."
The goal for this year's Great Futures Campaign is $65,000. "The cost of offering our programs for a child is $1,000 a year," says Jack Weller, BGCCC board president. "The child and family do not pay that amount. They pay an annual membership fee of $50. No child is refused access to the club because they can not afford to belong."
Funds for the children to attend are provided through the United Way, federal and state grant programs, along with the Club's annual fundraisers, like the golf tournament and car raffle. These resources represent 79 percent of the total budget. The Great Futures Annual Campaign, with a goal of $65,000, is raising funds to support these 65 children.
"To help folks understand what this means, basically we need to raise support for 65 children to be part of the club year round," says Weller. "For kids to have great futures, they need to have a solid school and out-of-school experience."
To participate in the Great Futures campaign, community members can mail a contribution to: Boys & Girls Club, P.O. Box 2001, Shelby, NC 28151. Donations can also be made online via PayPal at www.bgcclevelandcounty.org. More information about the BGCCC can also be found at the web site.

By April Hoyle-Shauf

Special to Shelby Shopper & Info