Boys & Girls Club of Muncie has kicked off its annual “It Just Takes One” campaign. The campaign raises money for the Club’s after-school programs and services for youth, grades K-12, living in Delaware County. The campaign seeks donations primarily from individuals and businesses.
The annual campaign coincides with the Great Futures Campaign to mobilize the community in support of kids and empower today’s youth to achieve great futures. Through the Great Futures Campaign, we seek to ensure that every child and teen has access to a safe place after school and during the summer where they can build the knowledge, skills and behaviors to put them on the path for success.
Every day, 15 million kids nationwide (1 out of 4) leave school with no place to go, putting them at risk of being unsupervised, unguided and unsafe. During the summer, an alarming 43 million (3 out of 4) kids in America lack access to summer learning programs, increasing their risk of learning loss and putting them at a disadvantage before the school year starts. The way a child spends their time after school and during the summer can significantly impact the path they take.
Serving as the campaign’s chair is Juli Metzger, Coordinator of Unified Media for Ball State University and Owner, The JMetzger Group Media and a member of the Board of Directors for the Boys & Girls Club. The campaign’s goal this year is to raise $84,400 in unrestricted contributions for the Club’s annual operating budget. “We’re proud to announce that to date our campaign has raised almost 20 percent of the overall goal as a result of some early lead gifts and gifts from 100 percent of our board members and key staff. Our goal now is to engage the community to show their support, and we will be able to reach, perhaps even exceed, our goal.”
Our Club is making a difference in the community, added Metzger. “Last year, our Club served more than 1,250 youth, a 117 percent increase from the year before! But there are still many more children in our community that need the kind of positive influence and guidance the Club provides, and we want to reach out to these youth and their families.”
Funds raised will help sponsor kids to attend summer day camp and provide quality after school programs such as PowerHour homework help program, career exploration, mentoring, fitness and sports, and character and leadership programs. The mission of the Boys & Girls Club of Muncie is to inspire and enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential, as productive, caring and responsible citizens.
“The cost of providing the Boys & Girls Club experience to one child for a year is about $500” said Metzger. “You can see what a valuable investment that is when you compare it to the cost of incarcerating a youth who went in the wrong direction – usually $50,000 or more. The Club gives an excellent return on investment.”
The Boys & Girls Club of Muncie, founded in 1933, is a non-profit 501 (c) 3 organization and depends on private donations and volunteers to accomplish its mission. To make a donation or to volunteer, contact the Boys & Girls Club office at (765) 282-4461 or visit the website at www.bgcmuncie.org.