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Throwback Thursday
Boys & Girls Club to open new site in Almond-Bancroft
Jul 21, 2022
By Nicole Strittmater for the Stevens Point Journal
Students in the Almond-Bancroft School District will soon have a place to go after school to socialize, work on homework and participate in extracurricular programs.
The Boys & Girls Club of Portage County received a roughly $15,000 grant from United Way of Portage County to start a new location, something Principal Jeff Rykal said is a definite need.
‘We’re kind of on the outskirts here of Portage County, and there’s not a whole lot going on in terms of things for the kids to get involved in besides athletics,’ he said.
The new site will be open one day per week with the intent to expand to a fully functioning site as additional funds are secured. The club most likely will target students in middle school, especially those who do not already participate in athletics.
‘We’re looking for some activities those kids can get involved with’ he said.
United Way chose to help fund the club based on findings from its 2007 Life Report. One of the poverty indicators it researched was the number of children that qualify for free or reduced-price lunch; in the Almond-Bancroft School District, that number is more than 50 percent of its roughly 500 students.
‘We’re definitely seeing that poverty is on the rise in Portage County; more specifically, we’re seeing big increases in the Almond-Bancroft School District,’ director of United Way’s Community Impact, Keri Gretebeck, said. ‘Because of the Life Report findings, there’s been a lot of discussion about how we can pay more attention to the outlying areas … and how we can encourage our member agencies and the community at large to make a more large-scale effort.’
The BGC currently has offices in Stevens Point, Plover and Junction City, as well as two school-based sites, which puts emphasis on education. Its mission is to inspire youths to ‘realize their full potential as productive, responsible and caring community members.’
‘This is an effort for us to start the ball rolling,’ BGC director of program operations Carie Winn said. ‘We really feel that it’s important to branch out, because there is that community that needs support.’
BGC executive director Devin Quevillon said the site still is in the early planning stages and he hopes to form a steering committee of people from the community.
‘I want to know … what people think is needed,’ he said.
Students in the Almond-Bancroft School District will soon have a place to go after school to socialize, work on homework and participate in extracurricular programs.
The Boys & Girls Club of Portage County received a roughly $15,000 grant from United Way of Portage County to start a new location, something Principal Jeff Rykal said is a definite need.
‘We’re kind of on the outskirts here of Portage County, and there’s not a whole lot going on in terms of things for the kids to get involved in besides athletics,’ he said.
The new site will be open one day per week with the intent to expand to a fully functioning site as additional funds are secured. The club most likely will target students in middle school, especially those who do not already participate in athletics.
‘We’re looking for some activities those kids can get involved with’ he said.
United Way chose to help fund the club based on findings from its 2007 Life Report. One of the poverty indicators it researched was the number of children that qualify for free or reduced-price lunch; in the Almond-Bancroft School District, that number is more than 50 percent of its roughly 500 students.
‘We’re definitely seeing that poverty is on the rise in Portage County; more specifically, we’re seeing big increases in the Almond-Bancroft School District,’ director of United Way’s Community Impact, Keri Gretebeck, said. ‘Because of the Life Report findings, there’s been a lot of discussion about how we can pay more attention to the outlying areas … and how we can encourage our member agencies and the community at large to make a more large-scale effort.’
The BGC currently has offices in Stevens Point, Plover and Junction City, as well as two school-based sites, which puts emphasis on education. Its mission is to inspire youths to ‘realize their full potential as productive, responsible and caring community members.’
‘This is an effort for us to start the ball rolling,’ BGC director of program operations Carie Winn said. ‘We really feel that it’s important to branch out, because there is that community that needs support.’
BGC executive director Devin Quevillon said the site still is in the early planning stages and he hopes to form a steering committee of people from the community.
‘I want to know … what people think is needed,’ he said.
Boys & Girls Club of Portage County
P.O Box 171
Stevens Point, WI 54481
941 Michigan Ave.
Stevens Point, 54481
info@bgclubpc.org
715.341.4386
Tax ID #: 73-1630506
Thank You, United Way of Portage County!
The Boys & Girls Club of Portage County is a United Way sponsored agency.
Help Open Doors
Thank you for contributing to the Boys & Girls Club of Portage County. We rely on the support of the community to keep our programs and services available to more than 2,000 youth in Portage County.