The Cause

40 percent of violent crimes against children take place between 3 p.m and 7 p.m. It’s also when many parents struggle to find quality care for their children, sometimes being forced to leave children unsupervised and at a higher risk for bullying, developing unhealthy habits and other risky activities.

Boys and Girls Club’s afterschool programs do more than simply curb these threats by providing a safe environment – they turn that daily four hour block of time into a window of opportunity – to run, play, make friends, share a healthy snack or meal, learn a new skill or hobby and get help with their homework.

Research shows that after school programs can play a key role in engaging young people in the learning process by providing opportunities to explore interests, gain competency in real world skills, solve problems, assume leadership roles, develop a group identity with similarly engaged peers, connect to adult role models and mentors, and become involved in improving their communities. In fact, after school programs can make all the difference in building the pre-requisites to learning - supporting not only academic achievement, but long-term competence and success as well.

Boys and Girls Clubs play a critical role in bridging the gap between home and school, while making our cities and towns better places to grow up and live in by tackling issues that are at the heart of every community.

We firmly believe that our young people not only serve as the foundation for the future but are firmly part of the present generation of global citizens: living, contributing, exploring, experiencing and learning. It is essential that every effort is made to ensure that all young people - regardless of their family’s structure or financial status - have the resources and support they need to reach their full potential.