By Sarah Rae

Boys and Girls Club celebrating 40 years in the Battlefords

Oct 12, 2016 | 5:00 PM

The Boys and Girls Club will be celebrating 40 years in the Battlefords next week, but community members may need to step up if they want to see another 40 years.

Executive director Nicole Combres said the amount of children needing the club’s services continues to increase, and funding isn’t quite keeping up. In September 2015 there were 259 after-school visits at the club’s main site and that number almost tripled this year with 711 visits in September.

“We’ve all seen a hit in the economy so we’ve seen a decline in our revenue for various reasons,” she said. “The need for our free of charge services has increased and we know there are families in our community struggling to provide the basic necessities for their children and they’re coming to us to help with that.”

The club launched a “40 for 40” fundraising campaign this summer to promote a monthly donation option and celebrate the 40 years serving the Battlefords. People can now donate a certain amount of money each month, rather than making individual donations. The suggested donation amount is $40 for the campaign, but Combres stressed even a dollar per month will help children in the community access nutrition and services.

She said over the next year the club will focus on maintaining the quality of programming offered this year, especially the free services at the main site. In order to maintain services the club will need to see an increase in revenue though, whether that’s through fundraising, grants or donations.

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Combres said it’s nearly impossible to measure the impact the club has had on the community over the last 40 years, but it’s always been known as a safe place for children.

“The club has been known as that place where kids can go and they are safe and they are welcomed and they belong and they are able to build meaningful relationships with the staff and other children,” she said. “These children that attend our programs, they are the community’s future and they know their future can start here. They’re learning skills that they may not otherwise learn, so we’re giving them opportunities, giving them chances to take risks, make mistakes, learn from them and grow to become contributing members of our community.”

Combres said the club has likely also had an impact on food security in the Battlefords, as they offer free after-school and evening snacks along with a supper program.

To mark the milestone there will be a birthday celebration on Thursday, Oct. 20 at the club. Combres said anyone who has supported the club in any way is welcome to celebrate.

The 16th annual Boys and Girls Club Gala is also coming up on Nov. 2 at the Gold Eagle Casino and is one of the club’s major fundraisers.

Sarah Rae is battlefordsNOW’s court and crime reporter. She can be reached at Sarah.Rae@jpbg.ca or tweet her @sarahjeanrae.