Safe and active

By BROOKE WOLFORD

Staff Writer

COEUR d’ALENE — Around the time people started getting creative with hair colors, Ryan Davis was in charge of a teen program at a Boys and Girls Club in Arizona. One day at the club, one of those teens sprayed silver Creon paint all over Davis’ head.

Years later, Davis received a phone call from that same teen, asking for a letter of recommendation for a full-ride scholarship to Arizona State University.

It’s a success story Davis, now the executive director of the Boys and Girls Club of Kootenai County, said highlights the difference Boys and Girls Clubs can make in a youngster’s life.

The Boys and Girls Club of Kootenai County doubled the number of kids it reaches, thanks to the recent addition of the Lola and Duane Hagadone Boys and Girls Club in Coeur d’Alene. With that comes a need for more programs, staff and even more funding for its summer program.

To accommodate that growth, the club held an event in April known as the “Spring Party,” to kick off its new summer scholarship program. The program is an opportunity for businesses and community members to help fund scholarships that will cover some of the costs of membership for kids in need.

The club’s regular summer program, which is all day for 10 weeks, costs $20 per year, so it can provide affordable programs to the kids who need them the most. A large percentage of families at the club qualify for free and reduced lunch, or are members of the working class who struggle to make ends meet, according to Davis. These families have nowhere for their kids to go during the summer.

But based on the number of kids that come, and the amount of time they’re there, the cost for the club to run its summer program is about $270 per child.

Last summer, the club averaged about 355 kids a day at the Post Falls location, according to Davis. Now, with the Coeur d’Alene club also open for summer, comes the possibility of 650 to 750 kids per day on average between the two sites.

The club needs donations from businesses and community members to make up the $250 difference so it can ensure the kids’ safety in the summertime. The club teamed up with Shannon Erwin, a local artist, to create two papier maché trees with the names of donors written on their leaves.

“We have one here and one in Post Falls with the idea that it really showcases to parents and kids that are coming in that there are people in the community who care about them and that we couldn’t do what we do without the community’s support,” Davis said.

Whether it’s a donation of $50 or $250, community members can provide an opportunity for kids to be safe and active this summer. But money isn’t the only form of help the club needs.

“If they have time, we’re always looking for volunteers, whether that’s helping out with fundraising, whether that’s coming in and teaching kids how to play the violin, whether that’s coming in and just reading with the kids or even just playing kickball and hanging out with the kids,” Davis said.

To help with the staffing, the club has partnered again with the Americorps VISTA program to create summer associate positions. The summer positions offer work experience and the associates receive a stipend and the opportunity to be awarded some funding to be used toward education.

Anyone interested in applying for a summer associate position can reach out to the club through its website, northidahobgc.org.

Community members can also explore ways to help the club by visiting the website.