RAPID CITY CLUB FOR BOYS INC
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Mission Statement
The Club for Boys is dedicated to providing positive experiences that develop self-esteem and character in a caring, safe and fun environment for all boys.
About This Cause
The overall goal of the Club for Boys is to promote the well-being of boys, ages 6-18, through a quality, comprehensive afterschool and summer program and provide critical services for their families. The majority of the boys face challenges of poverty, racial bias and instability at home. To achieve this goal, the program has four objectives: Objective 1: Motivate learning and creativity with at least 60% of Club members monthly participating in activities that stimulate learning and creativity. Objective 2: Promote physical health with at least 75% of boys in attendance eating a healthy meal or snack each day and 30% of those attending participating in at least 30 minutes of physical activity each day. Objective 3: Stimulate positive social-emotional health with at least 78% of Club members engaging monthly in activities promoting community service, character, resilience, socialization and substance abuse prevention. Objective 4: Encourage family involvement and fulfillment of basic needs with 55% of members’ families participating in events or receiving services, such as help with affordable housing, dental care, food security and clothing, during the year. To fulfill these objectives, the Club has the following activities: • Arts & Crafts – The Club has a fully functioning workshop that offers creative opportunities for the boys in woodworking, construction (including the use of power tools), plastics, painting, making mosaics and other hobby crafts. • Education – The Club’s library offers tutoring, homework help, summer reading program, STEM projects and has a computer lab. Certified public school teachers come after school to coach the boys in academic skills, test preparation and assignment completion. The Club has online programs in the areas of reading and math. Robotics has been introduced to assist in understanding science, technology, engineering and math; the boys are using tablets to learn to code robotic movements. • Individual Services – Boys and their families who can use some extra help with basic needs can get this help at the Club for Boys. An important aspect of individual services is working with boys as issues arise at the Club. Teaching boys how to peacefully settle disagreements between themselves, happens many times each day. Providing standards of behavior with consequences for not living up to those standards is important in the boys’ development at the Club. Families are also assisted in meeting basic needs like food, clothing, employment, physical and mental wellness, etc. An important partnership is with Lloyd Companies to provide affordable housing for Club and other families in the community. • Nutrition Program – The Club has a kitchen and staff of cooks who daily prepare snacks and meals for the boys. During the school year, an after-school snack and dinner are offered each day and during the summer, the Club serves breakfast, lunch and snacks. Each meal and snack meets U.S. Department of Agriculture guidelines for nutritional and sanitary requirements. The meals and snacks are free to all boys. In FY24, 65,065 meals and snacks were served. • Outdoor Activities – The Club takes boys hiking, fishing, rock climbing, swimming and camping in the Black Hills as well as providing gardening, archery, biking and other outdoor activities at the Club. All the activities have both a recreational and a science education component. • Recreation and Socialization – Pool, bumper pool, carpet ball (invented at the Club for Boys in Omaha), marbles, ping pong, board games, four-square, seasonal parties and special events offer the boys a chance to socialize, make friends and have fun. The Club has opportunities each week for boys to earn tickets through winning contests, doing good deeds, helping out, etc.; each day, boys can select a prize from the prize booth based on the number of tickets they decide to spend. • Sports – The Club has two gyms plus the new sport court to provide areas for physical activity. Teams are organized into leagues for basketball, flag football and tennis baseball. Soccer and ice hockey have also been part of the sports program. Free play in the gyms is part of each day’s schedule. The Club also encourages participation in lifelong sports such as walking, hiking, swimming and bicycling. • Special Interest Groups and Clubs – Older boys (ages 12 and up), Junior Boys (ages 10-11) and Younger Boys (ages 6-9) each have a separate Club room so they can get together for developmentally appropriate activities. These activities include field trips, movies, discussions, Native American ceremonies or other traditions, and special interest groups (collecting things like sports cards and comic books, chess and checkers clubs, community service club, etc.). Older Boys Afterhours happens from 8:00 – 11:00, on Friday evenings, when the Club stays open for the older boys in order to provide a safe alternative for socialization. In Rapid City, the idea for a boys’ club began with Judge George Hurst in the 1950’s in response to community concerns about juvenile delinquency. Judge Hurst involved the Morning Optimist Club and the group secured a state charter for the Boys Club of Rapid City in 1958. In November 1963, everything was in place and the Club opened its doors in the Old Train Depot on Eighth St. The Club was part of the Boys Clubs of America which later became the Boys and Girls Clubs. Our local community decided to stay single gender because there is an active Girls Inc. in Rapid City. There are also documented benefits of single-gender programs for children which include: decreased behavior problems, more leadership opportunities, improved self-esteem and the ability to address unique learning styles and interests. Today the Club for Boys has a well-qualified staff of 30 that provide recreation and developmentally appropriate programming for boys, ages 6-18. The Club is open to the boys from 1:30 until 8:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, during the school year and from 7:30 a.m. until 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, during the summer months. Overall management of the Club for Boys is in the hands of an 17-member Board of Directors and the organization is also classified as a 501(c)(3) by the Internal Revenue Service. About 50 volunteers regularly help out at the Club. The Club for Boys is absolutely unique in Rapid City. Nowhere else can boys, especially those from low-income families, go for recreation, guidance and the attention of a caring adult. The boys are primarily from Rapid City but, especially during the summer, also come from Box Elder, Black Hawk, Piedmont and Sturgis. Throughout its 62-year history, the mission has been: The Club for Boys is dedicated to providing positive experiences that develop self-esteem and character in a safe, caring and fun environment for all boys. Its vision is: By striving to fulfill its mission on a daily basis the Club for Boys is committed to meeting its vision of helping all boys meet their needs today so they can fulfill their potential tomorrow. In FY25, 1002 boys were members of the Club: * An average of 227 boys came to the Club each day. Summer’s average was 282 boys a day and 210 came each day during the school year . *54% of the boys designated themselves as members of a minority group, usually Native American; 8% also designated their ethnicity as Hispanic/Latino. *33% were being raised by a single parent; an additional 10% were being raised by a relative other than a parent; and 3% were in foster care. *32% were challenged by a disability or health issue. *67% were in households that meet US Dept. of Agriculture poverty guidelines for free and reduced-cost meals at school; 29% live at or below the federal poverty guidelines ($32,150 for a family of 4); and for 7% of the boys, the income is 0 or unknown. *About 9% of the boys were homeless sometime during the year and at least 13% had a parent or close family member incarcerated. About 40,000 boys are past members of the Club for Boys. These boys come back as men and tell of their experiences here and the influence the Club has had on their lives. Some of these stories are in a booklet, “I Remember When”. Comments from the men include: “I really believe if it were not for the Club, I would either be dead or in jail. The lessons I learned at the Club that have influenced my life the most were patience and respect. I learned by watching staff at the Club." D.J. “My brother and I needed the Club when we were young. My parents were divorced and we were dirt poor. I depended on the Club for hot meals. I don’t know where we would have eaten if not for the Club.” Chico C “I really believe I would not be alive today if it had not been for the Boys Club. The Club was my home and kept me out of trouble." Eddie R