The Boys & Girls Clubs of Porter County kicked off its annual “It Just Takes One” campaign on Friday, February 25, 2011. Serving as this year’s campaign chair is Tim Rice of Lakeside Wealth Management.
The 2011 goal is to raise $225,190 for the Club’s annual operating expenses necessary to provide the quality programs and services to over 4,927 children and their families throughout Porter County.
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Porter County serves with one purpose: to enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens.
Today’s youth are growing up in a world much different from that of previous generations. The structure and patterns of family life in America have undergone dramatic changes. Families have become increasingly mobile and often function without assistance from extended family members. The divorce rate remains very high. More children are born to and raised in single-parent households. Childhood obesity is at an all-time high across the country. Many young people are confronted with dangerous influences, like drug use, gangs, and violence in their schools and neighborhoods.
Young people need to be surrounded by people who love, care for, appreciate and accept them. This support can come from family members or from other adults, such as Club staff, neighbors or teachers. Children need to have a place where they are physically and emotionally safe; a place with structure and clear limits.
For over 39 years, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Porter County has provided positive programs and activities for youth in the community, helping them become productive, self-sufficient individuals. The club is dedicated to keeping the promise to provide a safe, positive place for young people and to have a significant impact on their lives.
We need the financial support of caring people like you to help us reach children who need us most. Your investment gives the Boys & Girls Club the chance to develop a generation of young Americans who are productive and caring citizens. They will become our community, national and world leaders, exhibiting strong character and integrity to build a better life for themselves, better communities for their fellow citizens and a stronger America.
The Boys & Girls Club of Porter County provides children ages 5 to 18 with quality programming emphasizing character and leadership, education and career development; community service; technology training; financial literacy; health and life skills; the arts; sports, fitness and recreation; and family outreach.
The club operates facilities in Valparaiso, South Haven, Duneland and Portage. For more information on becoming a member of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Porter County or ways you can become involved or to make a tax deductible donation, please call (219) 464-7282 or visit www.bgcpoco.org to access this new system.
Photo: Kids from the South Haven Club