JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — The Boys and Girls Clubs in Missouri lobbied the legislature Wednesday, asking their legislators to continue to fund a program that works with young people.
The group wants to maintain funding so it can continue to “enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive , caring, responsible citizens.”
Several of their members, including five who are up for Youth of the Year, were honored on the House floor Wednesday morning.
The Boys and Girls Clubs in Missouri serve more than 50,000 youth in the state through 38 clubs in 20 cities. They seek to address graduation rates, juvenile crime, child obesity and poverty through their clubs.
To help make their case, the Boys and Girls Clubs argued that every dollar spent was an investment in community. According to statistics from the Institute for Social Research and the School of Public Health at the University of Michigan, every dollar invested in the Boys and Girls clubs results in $9.60 of economic benefits returned to the individual and society.
To achieve the economic return, the clubs offer a number of programs to help the youth in several areas. In education, they can take classes in STEM, creativity and literacy. There are programs for college and workforce development. And there are programs to help with fitness, health and wellness.
“Core Boys and Girls Club programs engage young people in activities with adults, peers and family members that enable them to reach their full potential,” a flyer distributed by the volunteers read. “Today’s young people face daunting obstacles – poverty, obesity, an alarming high school graduation crisis, and too few opportunities to give back. Far too many youth are left unsupervised during the out-of-school hours, when juvenile crime sores.”
The opportunity the clubs provide to the kids allow them to stay out of trouble and grow as members of society. Seventy-five percent of club alumni surveyed said they were actively involved with their community, and another 81 percent said their participation helped develop a sense of responsibility to give back to the community.
