Boys and Girls Club launches annual Back the Kids campaign

The Boys and Girls Club of El Dorado will launch its annual Back the Kids fundraising campaign tomorrow, which is the Club’s largest fundraiser of the year.

This year’s goal with the campaign is $100,000 although David Lee, executive director of the Boys and Girls Club, said the actual goal is to exceed that.

“It goes to all of them, it really does,” Lee said. “It’s general operating funds. This is what we do for every child, this is our goals – academic success, good character and citizenship, healthy lifestyles. It takes the kids that need us most, we do activities with them, programs, and it equals this the priority outcomes (goals). Honestly, it funnels into that.”

The funding raised through this campaign goes into everything the club does throughout the year. Last year, the campaign reached 97 percent of its goal.

As part of last year’s campaign, the Club added an option for a monthly contribution in addition to the option of a one-time donation. Victoria Hollis, Boys and Girls Club marketing director, said there was a handful of donors who took that option. However, the Club would like to increase the number of donors taking advantage of it.

Lee said everybody involved with the Boys and Girls Club including the board and staff members donate to the campaign. The categories of donors also include individual donors, industries, small businesses and professionals. The campaign starts each year in April and has been going on for over a decade.

According to a study by the Institute for Social Research and School of Public Health at the University of Michigan, for every dollar invested in a Boys and Girls Club, there is a $9.60 economic benefit and return to the individual and the society.

Funds go back into programming at the Club which includes arts, sports, health, academics and character building.

The mission of the Club is to enable young people, especially those in need, to reach their full potential as productive, caring and responsible citizens by providing a safe space outside of school hours.

The Boys and Girls Club of El Dorado had 2,610 registered members, 3,712 youth served through community outreach and a typically day saw 296 students participating in programs available at the Club in 2018.

The goals of the campaign are to increase members, ensure successful transitions between middle school and high school as well as college or careers after school, engage youth to take an active role in their community by fostering leaders and motivate youth to lead healthy lives through nutrition and health education.

“In my opinion, and I say there everywhere I go, the need when it comes to our youth is not getting smaller,” Lee said. “Unfortunately, that need is increasing with what our kids need. What they need is a safe, positive place to go after school, during summer and that’s what we provide. Although we do do sports leagues. It’s just important that the kids need a good place to go and this supports that.”

The Boys and Girls Club of El Dorado can be reached at 870-863-8753 or at eldoradokids.org Participation in the Club is $10 a semester. Lee said anybody who is interested in touring the facilities can contact Hollis to set up a time.

Michael Shine may be reached at 870-862-6611 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter and like him on Facebook @MichaelAZShine for updates on Union County school news.

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