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Highlands Today

Study Gives Boys And Girls Clubs High Marks

Kathy Waters/Highlands Today

Francisco Fabian, 11, helps mix a batch of Rice Krispie treats Monday at the Boys and Girls Club in Sebring.

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By MANDY SHEETS | Highlands Today

Published: May 21, 2008

SEBRING — Ross Lewis will graduate in a few weeks, then he is headed off to Tuskegee University in Alabama to study political science, and someday become a lawyer. He's not sure where he would be without the Boys and Girls Club, though.

A statewide study recently found that young people who attend Boys and Girls Clubs show higher graduation rates, greater achievement on Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, lower rates of absenteeism and lower rates of criminal offenses.

Ross, who has spent his afternoons at the Boys and Girls Club in Sebring for as long as he can remember, said he thinks the study is right on the money.

"I hear a lot of kids say they go to school so they can come to the Boys and Girls Club after school," Ross said. "This is a great place to be, and they help motivate you to do well in school."

Wally Randall, executive director of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Highlands County, said the results of the study, completed by Florida TaxWatch, a nonprofit research institute, support the club's academic program.

"We knew our members show improvement on the FCAT, but we didn't know that they are improving at a much faster rate than their peers who do not go to the Boys and Girls Club," Randall said. "I think this study says that we are a good steward of any money we receive. People can look at it not as a donation but as an investment in the future of their community."

The study found that elementary school students who regularly attend an after-school program like the Boys and Girls Club showed learning gains of 20 percent on the FCAT.

The study also finds that the Boys and Girls Club helps youth avoid legal trouble and fosters abstinence from illegal drugs, alcohol and tobacco and saves the state about $214,000 per year that would otherwise be spent with referrals or detention through the Department of Juvenile Justice.

"Law enforcement has always said that when you have students in a structured program in a positive environment rather than running the streets in the summer or after school, it's much better for the community," Randall said. "Without the Boys and Girls Club, a lot of these youth would have no where else to go."

The atmosphere in the Boys and Girls Club is welcoming and fun – games are spread out on the tables, a group of pre-teens shoot pool together and all the kids keep asking when the Rice Krispie treats will be ready.

"I love this place," Ross said. "There is always something to do and never a dull moment."
Even at 17, Ross still goes to the club every chance he gets to volunteer with the after-school program.
"The Boys and Girls Club did so much for me while I was growing up so I feel like I need to give something back," Ross said. "I love it here, so every day I don't have to work, I am here."

D.J. Taylor, 9, looks forward to going to the club every day – the bus takes him there after school.
"I get to play football, basketball and dodgeball," he said. "I get to see my friends and my cousins too. It's a fun place."

Kelsey Augustin, 11, enjoys the social aspects as well.
"I like seeing all my friends and talking and playing games together," she said.

The Boys and Girls Club is now gearing up for its summer camp program, which runs from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.

"The summer camp consumes a lot of our financial resources because we provide a lot of scholarships for kids whose parents cannot afford the camp," Randall said.

The Boys and Girls Club is looking for donations to sponsor kids at the camp for $75. For more information about becoming a sponsor, call Wally Randall at 453-0240.

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