5 Myths About Club

5 Myths about Club

I have been part of the Black Canyon Boys & Girls Club (BCBGC) in varying capacities since its inception in 1999 (Club member, junior staff, board director, and currently as the Executive Director). I know about all there is to know about the BCBGC but I do forget sometimes that not everyone is aware of what the Club entails. So today’s article will be busting five myths that I often encounter when talking with people about the Club.

Myth 1: BCBGC gets funding from Boys & Girls Club of America (BGCA)

• The Club does not getting funding from BGCA. While BCBA, does offer some administrative and training support to the Club, all operating funds come solely from grants and fundraising. The Club currently has two major fundraisers; the Montrose Wine & Food Festival in May and Crab Crack in November. The Club also participates in some joint fundraisers BGCA has in partnerships with certain organizations such as with Ross, but all donations that go to BGCA stay at the national level. Monthly donors are wonderful too as it provides a constant source of funds every month whereas fundraising and grants can vary based on the time of year, number of sponsors, etc.

Myth 2: All Clubs are the same

• Each Club across the nation is essentially a franchise of BGCA. No two Clubs are the same. In fact, the BCBGC, in its 20 years in the Montrose/Olathe community, is a relatively young Club compared to those in major cities such as Denver. Some Clubs are established enough to have their own facilities, other Club’s rent locations to operate, some serve multi-towns, some serve only one, programming differs at each Club, demographics served are different, etc. There is one common thread between every Club though – this mission to help enable great futures in the lives of all those kids served.

Myth 3: We are just a babysitting service for after school

• While the BCBGA is an affordable child care option for after school and in the summer, it is not a babysitting service. The Club is a youth development organization. Each day there are different programming learning opportunities for the kids to do based on their age group. There is Lego building time, the Hour of Code, Junior Chef, Power Hour, outdoor play time, gardening, etc. The Club strives to educate kids and expose them to different opportunities and hobbies to see what they might be interested in doing in the future, particularly exposing them to possible career opportunities.

Myth 4: We only help children from low income families

• The purpose of all the Clubs in the nation is to provide the same opportunities to all kids regardless of income, gender, nationality, etc. Every kid at Club is on the exact same playing field and is treated as such. Club strives to keep its rates competitive and affordable for all parents to be able to send their children. However, the Club understands that there are some parents who are unable to pay the fee so scholarship opportunities are available if necessary.

Myth 5: We only serve elementary school aged kids

• BCBGC serves school aged kids ages 6-18. For BCBGC, the majority of our member population right now is under the age of 10 but it can serve kids through high school. Part of being a youth development organization is we want to have the kids start Club at 6 and stay through 18 either as a member or junior staff. That way we can help guide them and offer them opportunities through their formative years as there is data that shows Club kids are more less likely to drop out of high school than their counterparts.

Bud Taylor is the Executive Director for the Black Canyon Boys & Girls Club and has been for almost three years. Prior to that, he was a BCBGC kid, junior staff member, and board director. Feel free to contact Bud Taylor by e-mail at btaylor@bcbgc.org or visit the Club’s website for information, www.bcbgc.org