CLUB: Just can't get there

Like many, I was very excited about the Boys and Girls Club opening in Coeur d’Alene. Much planning went into the development of this beautiful facility. Unfortunately, they neglected to plan how kids could be transported to the facility.

Parents were promised that transportation would be provided after the first two weeks. Now the plan is to transport some kids but not all. For your child to be provided transportation, you must enter a weekly lottery and pray your child gets picked.

Some schools only have room for 20 kids on the bus. Guess who this is going to impact the most? The people who need it the most. Those without resources. The ones who can’t just leave work to get their kids there. Those who don’t have computer access. Those who can’t take a break at noon to enter their kids in the lottery. Those who can’t wait until Friday evening to find out if their kid was one of the lucky ones.

They call this situation “far from perfect.” Those would not be the words I would use. This situation is unacceptable. I love how they mention on their site that “1 out of 5 young people lives in poverty.” I wonder if 1 out of 5 children who want to go to BGC can’t go.

Let’s quit putting our resources into fancy buildings and start putting them where they matter, in this case actually making it possible for kids to attend.

ALLISON HEDRICK

Coeur d’Alene