Laserfiche WebLink
Boys and Girls Club - 7:15 p.m. <br /> Elizabeth Colebrook, Resource Development and Marketing Coordinator with the Boys <br /> and Girls Club of Central Carolina stated that the mission of the organization is to enable <br /> all young people to reach their full potential to be productive and caring citizens. There <br /> are now over 4,000 clubs in America. In 1995, a band of concerned citizens came <br /> together to raise money to build Boys and Girls Club of Sanford/Lee County and began <br /> operations at Saint Claire Elementary School. They celebrated their 25th anniversary this <br /> past year. Staff has over 50 years of combined experience. Over 18,000 children have <br /> been served in Lee, Chatham, and Harnett Counties. There is a high rate of learning loss <br /> during summer months. The Boys and Girls Club aims to provide a safe place for kids to <br /> learn and grow, and develop ongoing relationships with caring, adult professionals, and <br /> provide programs that are life enhancing and provide character development. Academic <br /> success, character and citizenship, and healthy lifestyles are the three main focus areas <br /> of the organization. There was 1,213 youth served in 2020. Challenges for the <br /> organization include the government shutdown that forced the organization to temporarily <br /> close their doors, loss of revenue, increased staff wages, loss of staff, training new hires, <br /> feeding programs, academic concerns, and no volunteers. The Club Director for OT <br /> Sloan is Jaslyn Walker. She has been the director for 7 years. The Boys and Girls Club <br /> serves 14 schools. One challenge this summer is providing transportation for summer <br /> school. Funding provided supports transportation for the Club and access to programs. <br /> Girlversed Book Club - 7:30 p.m. <br /> Lacrecia Reives appeared on behalf of Girlversed Book Club to present funding requests. <br /> The organization started with a small group of girls reading books and discussing problems <br /> they are faced with in the schools such as anxieties and fears. The literary portion of Girl <br /> Verses Book Club seeks to address literacy problems in NC. The organization's mission is to <br /> seek to build leadership skills and promote unity. The books that are read contribute to the <br /> ways girls can respect each others'identity and help address issues with bullying. Ms. Reives <br /> stated that she is seeking to get GVBC out to the community by hosting workshops and <br /> events. During 2020 GVBC did mostly Zoom meetings, but now that things are opening they <br /> are working on taking trips to help open members'minds and to develop goals and things to <br /> look forward to. Funding comes mostly from the community along with some federal and <br /> state grant funds. Commissioner Carver asked whether she had reached out to the Boys and <br /> Girls Club for a partnership and she stated that it is something she has considered and would <br /> like to revisit. <br /> 4 <br />