Back a child: Help support the Boys & Girls Club of Ozarks

www.bgozarks.org | Staff Report

The Boys & Girls Club of the Ozarks is a nonprofit youth development organization dedicated to promoting a sense of belonging, self-esteem and accomplishment in all kids. For 32 years, Boys & Girls Club of the Ozarks has provided these spaces, becoming second homes to generations of young people.

Boys & Girls Clubs of the Ozarks fill the gap between school and home and in the summer months, as a safe and welcoming place for kids while parents are at work. The Club provides a helpful and fun environment for kids and teens participating in life-changing programs and building supportive relationships with peers, caring mentors and trained staff. You help offer life-changing experiences for hundreds of kids!

With four sites— Branson, Crane, Forsyth and Reeds Spring, the positive impact provided to area kids is great.

The Boys & Girls Club mission is to enable all young people, especially those who need us the most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring and responsible citizens. Keeping with our mission is at risk now because according to Stoney Hays, Chief Executive Officer, “numerous grants have been cut, frozen or reduced.” The Club’s critical lack of funding has resulted in reduced hours and service for kids and their families and is expected to get worse.

The Ozarks Boys & Girls Club relies on community support from the public and businesses. Hays emphasized, “We’re in jeopardy if the community doesn’t fund us.”

Why your support matters:

●      You give kids a safe and affordable place to go after school and during the summer while parents are working—ensuring every child, regardless of their circumstances, has access to the Club. Membership is open to all kids ages 5-18. No child is ever turned away for financial reasons.

●      You support healthy lifestyles and ensure no child goes home hungry, by providing hot meals.

●      Your support helps keep kids off the streets which takes away opportunity for poor choices.

●      During the school year, you support academic success by extending the school day through high yield learning activities and homework help.

●      You encourage and reinforce good character, leadership and citizenship.

●      Your support offers programs that help kids navigate tough situations.

●      You help create the moments where a child discovers their confidence, finds their voice, or feels seen and supported for the very first time.

●      Your support promotes workforce development through internships, assessments and college visits

According to Hays, the summer enrichment program begins May 26. Between the four sites, approximately “400 kids will be served each day” this summer. Parents who are the “worker bees” for the area need a safe place for their kids. Kids will participate in summer brain games, continue with reading, academics, hands-on STEM and art activities and much more. Fun and educational opportunities will be offered with field trips to the Butterfly Palace, Fish Hatchery, Table Rock Dam, just to name a few.

Our Annual Campaign has begun: We need you!

Each year, the Boys & Girls Club of the Ozarks conducts an annual giving program – the Great Futures Annual Campaign—that helps ensure that all young people continue to be provided with an opportunity to have the great futures each one of them deserves. In Missouri, one in two kids lack access to afterschool programs, putting them at risk of being unsupervised, unguided and unsafe. It is only with the support of people like you that we are able to create life learning experiences and opportunities, empowering our kids to build healthy, productive futures for themselves and our country. 

Your donation isn’t just a gift — it’s an investment in brighter futures. Our Annual Campaign fuels EVERYTHING we do. And we can’t do it without people like you who believe in our mission and believe in our kids. Please give today because GREAT futures don’t happen by chance, they happen because of YOU.

Please join us. Support the Annual Campaign. Change a life. Use the QR code or visit our website at www.bgcozarks.org/donate/ for more information on becoming a supporter. Multiple donation levels are available for individuals and businesses. 

On behalf of the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Ozarks Board, staff and – most importantly the kids we serve—thank you for your generosity and support.