Boys and Girls Club opens doors to community members before summer programs start

GAINESVILLE - The Boys and Girls Club of Hall County are about to kick off their summer programs, but before that, each Tuesday in April, the club opened its doors to community members to show them what the Boys and Girls Club was really all about.

Chief Professional Officer Steve Mickens explained that the Boys and Girls Club of Hall County (BGCHC) is designed to teach kids about good citizenship, healthy habits and academics after school and during the summer.

Mickens said the Club opened their doors for open house tours because so many people don't know what the club even does.

"Most people look at the Boys and Girls Club and they go, 'Oh its just a place to hang out and it's fun.' Well, no, we really have a good partnership with the schools and we try to help bridge the gap between after school and the school day," Mickens said. "Not be a school and mirror the school, but we want to be innovative and we want to be fun, but more importantly, our kids have to graduate. So that's the number one priority for every kid that comes through this club."

There are three clubhouses: Positive Place Club on Downey, Positive Place Teen Center and the Joseph F. Walters Club. Each colorful, kid-friendly location is different and features multi-purpose class rooms, a common room and class-specific rooms, like a professional-grade kitchen at the Downey Blvd Club. Kids will be able to take supervised cooking classes beginning this summer, Mickens said. 

The kids in the afterschool program now can enroll in the summer programs for free, but kids who want to join in for the summer can do so for $150 for the summer.

"Throughout the school year, we're only here for four hours," said Mickens. "So we extend it for 10 hours in the summertime. It's like the afterschool program but on steroids, with the exception that it's not as focused on academics, like we are in the afterschool program."

But, Mickens said the academics are still an important part of the summer program, which will have a different theme each week and include field trips and guest speakers. "We're always trying to have an educational component to everything that we're doing in the summertime," said Mickens.

In the Fall, Mickens said the goal was to take the BGCHC buses around the county and round up students for the after school program, so no child will have to be home alone after school. Mickens said 100 kids come from the nearby Fair Street School alone. It costs a lot to build more Clubhouses, so being able to bring the kids to the centers they already have is a cost-effective alternative, Mickens added.

Coming up in May is the annual Rubber Duck Derby, a fundraiser for the clubs. 20,000 ducks will be put into the Lake Lanier Olympic Venue, and a $10,000 grand prize is at stake. Mickens said the fundraiser has benefited the Club for the over 10 years. "What this fundraiser does, is it raises money for our kids to offer the programs that we offer now," said Mickens. "The money from those fundraisers allow us to pour more resources into things for the kids."

BGCHC has been serving the Gainesville/Hall County area for 61 years.

A study group member takes a quick break to wave at AccessWDUN's Alyson Shields and Chief Professional Officer Steve Mickens.

A volunteer begins vocal warm-ups with students as they prepare for a chorus class.

A brand new, professional grade kitchen waits for its first cooking class this summer.

A math tutoring class practices probability with a dice game.

Two students work together in a quiet study hall.

Students prepare for a rotation after a computer class

An older student helps a younger one with a good book in the center's reading room.

A game room, which also serves as a common room, hosts a variety of social games, like pool and ping pong. Today, kids take a piano class with a certified piano teacher and record their own music.

http://accesswdun.com/article/2015/4/306667/boys-and-girls-club-opens-doors-to-community-members