BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB OF THE BEMIDJI AREA
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Mission Statement
The Boys & Girls Club of the Bemidji Area’s mission is: "To inspire and enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to realize their full potential as productive, responsible and caring citizens." We serve youth ages 6-18 years old by providing: 1) A safe place... for those who may be left alone after school. The club is a safe place for kids to play, learn and be with friends 2) Life-enhancing programs... that can open young minds to new ideas and skills 3) A relationship with caring, trained adults... that can last a lifetime 4) Hope and opportunity, that leads to increased confidence and a brighter future. The Club’s after school and summer programs promote the development of young people by instilling a sense of competence, a sense of usefulness, a sense of belonging and a sense of power or influence. When this strategy is fully implemented, self-esteem is enhanced and an environment is created which helps boys and girls achieve their full potential. GREAT FUTURE START HERE
About This Cause
At the Boys & Girls Club of the Bemidji Area we focus on three priority outcomes: 1) Academic Success, meaning we help youth with their homework each and every day so they may set a goal to graduate from high school and be ready for college, trade school, military or employment. 2) Healthy Lifestyles, meaning that our youth adopt a healthy diet, practice healthy lifestyle choices, avoid risky behaviors and make a lifelong commitment to fitness. 3) Good Character & Citizenship, meaning that our youth understand what it means to be an engaged citizen involved in the Club and in the community, register to vote and model a strong character and develop their leadership skills. Membership in the Club is $25 a year per youth or $75 family maximum. (Though, it costs the Club $850 per youth per year.) It is important to us to keep the membership fee at a minimum so ALL youth people will be able to access the Club’s quality year-round programs. Scholarships are also available to cover the $25 membership fee. We understand it is hard for youth to focus on learning when they are hungry. We fight hunger by providing a nutritious snack every day at 3:30 p.m. and lunch is served Monday-Friday all summer. In 2017, we served nearly 30,000 snacks and meals. You also have the opportunity to grow their own vegetables and fruits via the Club gardening program and harvests over 1,000 of produce annually. We have many volunteer opportunities available for youth, college students and community members either in our program areas, working with our garden and grounds, on one of our many communities, board or special events. In fact, in 2017, over 467 people invested their time volunteering. More information about volunteer opportunities are available on our website at www.bgcbemidji.org. We provide opportunities daily after school and all summer long through our five core program areas: 1) Education & Career Development Programs in Education and Career Development enable youth to become proficient in basic educational disciplines, apply learning to everyday situations and embrace technology to achieve success in a career. -- Money Matters - promotes financial responsibility and builds basic money management skills including budgeting, saving, investing. Youth explore small business by selling produce from our greenhouse to a local grocery store, restaurant and school district. -- Career Launch - members assess their skills/interests and explores a variety of careers and includes field trips and special guest presentations. -- Power Hour - educational hour with homework help and tutoring (all ages.) 2) Health & Life Skills Programs in Health and Life Skills develop young people’s capacity to engage in positive behaviors that nurture their own well-being, set personal goals and live successfully as self-sufficient adults. -- SMART Moves - helps young people resist the use of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs and avoid premature sexual activity. -- Date SMART - helps young women learn how to achieve mutually supportive relationships free of violence and abuse. -- Cooking classes/gardening - introduces Club members to healthy eating and economical cooking by growing our own fruits and vegetables through our 1,440 sq. ft greenhouse and garden. 3) Sports, Fitness & Recreation Programs in Sports, Fitness and Recreation develop fitness, positive use of leisure time, skills for stress management, appreciation for the environment and social skills. -- Triple Play - encourages young people to adopt and maintain a healthy lifestyle, become physically fit and make physical activity a lifelong habit. -- Annual trips to Lake-of-the-Woods for wilderness canoe trips. -- Weekly summer classes at Bemidji State Park in geocaching, fishing, canoeing, kayaking, aquatic biology, nature photography, hiking & camping. 4) The Arts Programs in The Arts enable youth to develop their creativity and cultural awareness through knowledge and appreciation of the visual arts, crafts, performing arts and creative writing -- Daily art expression programs including drawing, pottery, painting, theater, dance, language classes, knitting, mosaic & holiday creations. -- National Fine Arts and Digital Arts Exhibit Program - helps members develop their creativity and cultural awareness through visual arts. 5) Character & Leadership Development Programs in Character and Leadership Development empower youth to support and influence their Club and community, sustain meaningful relationships with others, develop a positive self-image, participate in the democratic process and respect their own and others’ cultural identities. -- Youth of the Year - recognizes Club members ages 14-18 for their character, personal growth and outstanding leadership. -- Keystone Club - teaches leadership skills and encourage volunteering in the Club and in the community for youth 14-18. Many youth walk, bike or skateboard to the Club. Thanks to a generous donor in 2013, the Club has a 12 passenger van to help provide transportation to the Club after school from local elementary schools and provide transportation to local partners like Bemidji State Park, Headwaters Science Center, City of Bemidji Parks, Bemidji State University and more for field trip experiences. The Boys & Girls Club of the Bemidji Area was founded in 2003 by many dedicated individuals, local businesses and foundations, the Bemidji school district, city, state and federal government entities and a strong non-profit community and led by Leonore Potter, a consultant with Healthy Community Healthy Kids. The Club's Board of Directors hired Leonore as the first and founding Executive Director of the Boys and Girls Club of the Bemidji Area in 2003 and served until 2012 whereby she helped to secure and fund its 35,000 sq. ft. Club house and establish its governing structure and operations along with the key programs as listed above.