United Way spotlight - Sheboygan Falls Boys and Girls Club

As one of 20 agencies supported by the Sheboygan Falls United Way, the Boys and Girls Club of Sheboygan Falls strives to provide local youth with a positive place to enhance social skills, promote learning and build character.

The relationship between the two organizations goes hand in hand.

“One of our main goals is to support positive programming for children,” said Al Mayer, Sheboygan Falls United Way second vice president. “In particular, childcare is very important.

“There are a lot of single-parent families and families where parents need to put in a lot of time on the job,” he said. “In these cases, kids need a positive place to go. That is why quality childcare plays such a big role in the well being of the entire community.”

After opening in October 2007, the Sheboygan Falls Boys and Girls Club is currently celebrating its second anniversary of providing after-school youth programming to the community.

“We have placed a strong emphasis on becoming part of the Sheboygan Falls community,” Sheboygan Falls Boys and Girls Club Director Gwen Goebel said. “We like to stress that each member has part ownership of the club. This is their place.”

The center features a wide range of activities in the game room, learning center, art room and gym.

Paid staff members supervise each room and activity area. Staff members also organize special six to eight-week programs and activities, on occasion.

“We usually have approximately eight paid staff members working at the club,” Goebel said. “Every area of the club is well supervised and well organized by our staff.”

Although fun and relaxation are big parts of the center, school work is also emphasized.

“We have several volunteers that help kids with homework in the learning center,” Goebel said. “We always encourage kids to do their homework here.”

The center, which is designed for youth between the ages of 7 and 12, is open from 3-7 p.m. each day school is in session. Located at 107 Cedar St. in Sheboygan Falls, the center is open from 2-6:30 p.m. on early-release Wednesdays.

During summer vacation, the club stays open each weekday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

“We just opened up our club to 7 year olds,” Goebel said. “We think that will open things up and bring more kids and families in.”

Goebel said a club membership is one of the best deals around.

Although the membership fee is expected to rise a bit in 2010, it will remain reasonable for all families.

“We are very affordable,” she said. “Our annual membership fee has been $5. It will be going up next year to cover increasing costs, but we will not allow that to discourage people from joining.

“We want to include everyone regardless of financial status. We don’t turn anyone away.”

In addition to the regularly scheduled daily, after-school activities, the center occasionally hosts special nighttime and weekend events.

“We had a few middle-school dances last year, which were very popular,” Goebel said. “We are hoping to have more dances like that this year.

“Also, during the first two Saturdays of December, we open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., to give parents an opportunity to Christmas shop,” she said.

The regular club currently boasts 375 members, with 105 additional members attending The Club at Three-9-TEEN Teen Center, located at 319 Cedar St. in Sheboygan Falls.

The teen center, which is geared for youths between the ages of 12 and 18, is open 3-7 p.m. on weekdays, with the exception of Wednesdays, when it is open from 2 to 6:30 p.m. On Friday evenings, the teen center is open from 6 to 10 p.m.

“Last year, we scheduled a few special evening events at the teen center,” Goebel said. “This summer we had a concert on a Friday night.

“The intention of the teen center is to give teenagers something to do after school and on Friday nights,” she said. “There are kids that complain that there is nothing to do in the city on a Friday night. With the teen center, we are giving them a positive option.”

As a drop-in center, the club has an open-door policy for its members.

“We do monitor kids coming in and out, but as a drop-in, our door is open for people to stop in and head out,” Goebel said. “That system has worked well for us.”

To accommodate elementary-school students, Heidenreiter Bus Service provides exclusive after-school bus service to the club.

“There is one bus that is designated to drop off elementary-school kids at our door each day,” she said. “That is a great service for us to have. We are grateful to Heidenreiter Bus Service for doing that.”

Along with the two centers in Sheboygan Falls, the Boys and Girls Clubs of Sheboygan County also operate two clubs in Sheboygan and another in Howards Grove.

Mayer said the goals and objectives of the Boys and Girls Clubs fit perfectly with the United Way.

“The Sheboygan Falls Boys and Girls Club is a great example of how the funds we receive through donations stay local,” Mayer said. “We are dedicated to school-readiness and youth-development programs like the Boys and Girls Clubs offer.

“Those youth programs form the cornerstone of the future of our community,” he said.

The 2010 Sheboygan Falls United Way fund drive kicks off Thursday, Oct. 1, and runs through the end of the year. The 2010 fundraising goal is $85,000.

All of the donated funds are used to benefit a wide range of social-service agencies, youth programs and community-improvement organizations.

“Our funding for next year depends solely on the money we receive during our fall fund drive,” Mayer said. “These funds are what we will use to assist local United Way agencies in 2010.”

Check The Sheboygan Falls News for a series of articles in the upcoming weeks, highlighting the work of several United Way-supported agencies and organizations.