Boys and Girls club seeks donations
EL DORADO — The Boys and Girls Club of El Dorado’s annual “Back the Kids” campaign has begun with the hopes of raising $160,000 to go towards the Club’s annual operating costs of $1 million dollars.
“It’s just 10 percent of our annual budget but this is the only operating funding that we get from anywhere,” said Kathey Perry, Director of Resource Development and Grant Administration. “The rest is grant related or designated funds for specific activities.”
Funds raised during the campaign will be used for expenses such as utilities, payroll, building maintenance, insurance, as well as for unforeseen emergency situations.
“We are reaching out to the El Dorado/Union County community to help support that — to keep the lights on and the programs going,” said Perry. “It helps that when times are tight, we can have that to fall back on and make sure that everything needed is provided.”
She stated that these funds will also be utilized in the event of an emergency situation when their help is needed. During a recent storm, the Boys and Girls Club provided food to individuals in Smackover during the extended power outage. “We were able to make it available to more people, not just kids,” she said. “We want to do our part and that’s what ‘Back the Kids’ lets us do.”
Perry stated that the fundraising campaign fell short of their goal last year but hopes are still high for this year.
Reggie Thomas, Boys and Girls Club Board Member and Campaign Chair, said that this year his focus is on the churches of El Dorado and Union County.
“I’ve been going around to all the preachers,” he said. “Until this year, we’ve only received funding from churches for specific events but as far as the Back to School campaign, we hadn’t received any funding from them until this year.” Since the beginning of this year’s campaign, $700 has been raised from only a handful of churches, according to Thomas. “Even if they can only donate $25, it helps. These kids go to these churches. They can touch their lives and be impactful here as well.”
The Boys and Girls Club hopes that with the additional support of area churches, they will be able to reach their fundraising goal. “What is the club if not a mission?” asked Perry. “We provide food, we provide a place to go after school, and we provide educational opportunities for the kids who need it most.” She continued — “So what we’re really hoping to do is to try and show them that this is a mission here at home. They can not only help to support us financially but also as mentors who come in and do one-on-one mentoring with kids who really need it.”
“We charge $10 for the year for a child to come take advantage of everything we are offering,” said David Lee, Executive Director of the El Dorado Boys and Girls Club. “During the summer, we charge $20 and that includes breakfast, lunch and all of the activities. We do all of this yet we are still charging these low fees, if there’s a word that’s below minimal — I would use it.”
Lee added that it is imperative that the Back to Kids campaign be successful in order for them to be able to continue offering the low fees. “We’ve been able to keep our fees low because of the support we’ve received from the community — we just need to make sure that it continues.”
Lee praised the El Dorado/Union County community for their continued support of the Boys and Girls Club throughout its 70-plus year history.
“It’s solely because of the support from the community and our great staff,” said Lee. “It’s just incredible that we are able to continue to serve the kids
that need us most. We’re here for all kids but what makes us unique is that we are here for those kids who can’t afford $100 a week daycare.”
“We have great community support here but we just need to make sure that it continues,” Lee said. “I know times are tough, but kids are important and we are making a difference. We’ve got to continue to do that and we can’t do it without the support of the community.”
All Boys and Girls Club board members and staff are asked to make a donation to the campaign prior to going out into the community.
“We don’t feel that we can go out into the community to ask for money if we don’t believe in it enough to support it ourselves,” said Perry.
The “Back the Kids” campaign will run through the end of August but donations to the club can be made at anytime throughout the year. For more information or to make a donation, contact Kathey Perry at 870-863-8753 or visit www.eldoradokids. org.