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Summer Isn’t Over Just Yet: Lots to Do at the Vergennes Boys & Girls Club

photo provided With programs and fun for kids of all ages, the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Vergennes is open for business and invites you to come and see what is happening. Come for an hour or volunteer!

Tuesday August 14, 2012

By Cookie Steponaitis

When you ask Boys & Girls Club member Tami Johnson if she knows what day of the week it is since she is on summer vacation, the teen simply smiles and adds, “Of course I do, because there is something different and fun to do each day at the club.” Tami is a regular at the Boys & Girls Club in Vergennes and like many other teens cannot imagine her day or week without several afternoons at the club. A Youth Center serves kids ages 6-12 and a teen center serves kids ages 12-18 at two locations with two full schedules of events for local kids to choose from.

Younger children at the Youth Center spend their week with a combination of arts & crafts, playground, pool days, library and book activities and even some movies and munchies. The summer hours of operation are from 12:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. and the regular hours are 2:30-6:30. Once school is in session, it costs just $10.00 a week for a safe and nurturing space where programs in leadership, friendship, civic pride and community service go hand in hand with just having fun. Program Manager Brian Clark remarked, “This is a wonderful place to come and also to work. It allows the adults to reclaim the fun and wonder of our own youth, while mentoring and guiding children into healthy and positive life decisions.” The younger children work on community based projects such as Green Up Day and the upcoming Digital Arts Festival using programs such as Torch Club

The teen center is led by Program Director Billy Waller and Program Coordinator Kathy Ciociola  and offers the older group a place to hang their hat, establish friendships and work on leadership skills through the Keystone Club and special events and programs. As they grow and mature, the Boys & Girls Club also offers scholarship opportunities such as The Youth of the Year program for teens headed off to school or a new career path. The cost for the teen center is only $10.00 a year in dues and the benefits are incredible. Since opening its doors in 1999 the club has grown in size and strength providing a wide array of programs, mentoring, tutoring and special offerings.

Always on the lookout for volunteers and mentors for their club members, people are invited to stop by the club in Vergennes or contact Executive Director Mike Reiderer at (802)-877-6344. For upcoming projects people with photography, digital arts or computer talents are being sought for the Digital Arts Festival. Or come in to simply read a book to a child, help make a craft or open doorways to new career possibilities and directions.  The Boys & Girls Club of Greater Vergennes is ready, waiting and wants you to know that summer isn’t over yet and fall is just around the corner!

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