Boys and Girls Club provides support for children
Boys and Girls Club and JC Penney partnered up to introduce Goals for Graduation on Saturday at the Cache Valley Mall.
The Boys and Girls Club is a national organization that provides support to disadvantaged youth in the areas of drugs, alcohol, health and physical fitness, career investigation and educational improvement. The after-school program is dedicated to children from the ages of 6 through 18, according to the Encyclopedia Britannica.
Goals for Graduation helps club members set academic goals for the future and works on meeting the goals.
Martha Whitaker, professor of elementary education at the University of Utah, was the guest speaker at Goals for Graduation. Whitaker -a teacher for nine years – discussed the importance of learning.
Learning new things can change a person on the inside and when one is changed on the inside he/she can make a difference or even change the world, Whitaker said.
Following Whitaker’s comments, the children stood and repeated the Goals for Graduation “I Can Achieve Pledge.” The children promised to do things such as attend school regularly, be on time for class, listen in class, ask questions, raise their hand, complete homework and do the very best they could each day.
After stating the pledge, the children signed their name on a pledge card.
Completing homework can be made possible through a program called Power Hour. With the program, students are given one-on-one assistance with their homework, said Weston Parsons, Learn and Serve coordinator.
The children try to earn enough points to become one of the top five who will go on field trips, said Ashly Phillips, the program director.
Past field trips include going to Hogle Zoo, Raging Waters and Golden Spike National Monument.
Through Smart Moves, another club program, club members take part in role-playing activities while learning about drug and violence prevention; social skills and self identity, Phillips said.
“[The Boys and Girls Club] supports children’s education through fun structured after-school programs,” Phillips said.
The club has been in Cache Valley for almost 9 years, with 11 different sites, Phillips said.
The Boys and Girls Club is active in the community. The Club’s service projects include making personal hygiene kits for earthquake victims in India, planting a garden, cleaning up Green Canyon and playing Bingo with Sunshine Terrace residents for grandparents day, Parsons said.