With school out, summer is the busiest time for the Boys & Girls Club of La Plata County. The club, which was recognized by the city of Durango on Monday, has a slew of summer activities planned.
Durango Mayor Jessika Buell declared next Monday through June 28 Boys & Girls Club Week for Youth in La Plata County in recognition of the services and programs the organization provides to over 1,000 kids each year.
The designation coincides with National Boys & Girls Club Week scheduled for the same dates.
In a proclamation, Buell said the club serves over 1,700 youths in La Plata County annually through “club membership, engaging programs, fun activities and school and community outreach that provides essential programming during the times that children and families need us most, after school as well as during school vacations.”
The club currently serves over 1,300 youths in its full-day summer programs, said John Marchino, Boys & Girls Club board member. The programs focus on STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), the arts, career building, summer learning loss prevention and recreation.
He said financial support from the city’s Community Support Fund helps the club “continue our work of offering safe, fun, accessible out-of-school-time programs to youths across the county.”
Celia Gallavan, Boys & Girls Club 2024 youth of the year, said the club is putting on a series of events every day next week to celebrate National Boys & Girls Club Week, including the latest Community Concert festival at the Powerhouse featuring Lavalanche and sponsored by Nunn Construction. The event will benefit the Boys & Girls Club.
Boys & Girls Club CEO Vaughn Morris said in an interview the club’s ultimate goal is to ensure its youth members graduate high school with a plan for their future and they have the knowledge and tools to make good choices when faced with tough decisions and to lead healthy lifestyles.
Youths become eligible to join the club at 6 years old and can remain in the program until they turn 18.
Club youth development professionals apply a variety of activities, programs and experiences to help kids discover their interests in a fun and safe environment, Morris said, which has been the “cornerstone of what we've done and what we do as boys and girls clubs for over 140 years.”
“It's not easy growing up, and there's a lot of challenges and a lot of different family dynamics, so being able to be that consistent voice, and you know, opportunity in their lives is important to us,” he said.
Throughout the summer, the Boys & Girls Club serves 250 to 300 youths daily in programs at Needham Elementary School in Durango, the club’s main facility in Durango and in Bayfield, Morris said. Arts and crafts, field trips, character and citizenship programs and physical fitness are typical activities kids get to enjoy.
The Boys & Girls Club partners with Durango School District 9-R to facilitate a summer program to bridge the summer vacation gap in learning between school years, he said. Programs such as Summer Brain Game, Smart Fit and music opportunities through partnerships with Take Note and Stillwater are among activities available to youths.
Morris said more information about summer programs can be found online at bgclaplata.org.
cburney@durangoherald.com
