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Budget Cuts in Federal Funding Results in Program Changes for Local Boys & Girls Club

photo by Cookie Steponaitis Rep. Diane  Lanpher laughing with some of her youngest constituents at the Boys & Girls Club!

photo provided Mentoring and spending time together is just one of the parts of the programs at the Boys & Girls Club

Tuesday December 18, 2012

By Cookie Steponaitis

It was the summer of 1998 when long time Vergennes resident Sam Allo sat next to this reporter on a park bench at Button Bay State Park and started eloquently and passionately sharing a dream. Allo’s dream was to create a Boys & Girls Club for local youth to have a, “safe, caring and nurturing” environment that would be a stable and constant force in the lives of teens in the five towns. Allo, with pencil, forms and determination began his quest and did not stop until seeing its creation in the fall of 1999 when the Boys& Girls Club of Greater Vergennes opened its doors.

Much has happened in the history and development of the club since that summer of 1998 including several moves to different locations which have included the Armory, Parish Hall, Bixby Library, the basement of the Fire House and most recently in April 2004 its current School Street location and in 2007 the elementary program relocated to the current Masons Hall location. At the helm through all of these changes, Executive Director Mike Reiderer and the Board of Directors have strived to follow the mission of the Boys & Girls Club by, “inspiring and enabling all young people to reach their full potential as caring, productive and responsible adults.”

Much more than just a place for kids to hang out after school, Reiderer noted the link and partnership that the Boys & Girls Club occupies in the lives and educational/social/ emotional development of the area youth. “We are an important piece in kids’ lives,” reflected Reiderer. “The schools do an incredible job, and parents and family also play a critical role. The piece that is essential for some kids is a place to identify with that presents positive role models, mentors and a group of caring adults to interact with them on a daily basis.”
The Boys & Girls Club offer stability, mentors and programs designed to foster the exploration and development of each child’s potential. “One of our most successful pieces is the Youth of the Year Program,” expressed Reiderer. “Instead of looking at it as a one-time award or selection, our staff works with the kids over a period of years to see them mature and grow in areas of leadership, character development and service. In the past ten years five of the Vermont Youth of the Year have come from the Vergennes Club. That is an honor we are very proud of. It speaks to the values of the program and the devotion of our kids and staff to growth.”

While the Boys & Girls Club has been very fortunate to receive federal funding through the Justice Department Programs, recent cuts at the national level have had drastic repercussions for all the Vermont Clubs, Vergennes as well. “Nationally,” explained Mike Reiderer, “federal funding to Boys & Girls Club of America was cut by over forty percent and for us that translates to instead of receiving $100,000 this year as we have in the past two years, we are receiving $30,000.”

While Reiderer was quick to point out that the Boys & Girls Club has no complaints about the change in funds available and considers the Justice Department annual grants a huge blessing, the realities are simple, the Board of Directors has had to make changes in programs that begin immediately.
The Youth Center part of the Vergennes Boys & Girls Club will be closing on December 21st. The Teen Center will remain open and expand its offerings to include grades 5-12 with hours 2:30-6:30 p.m. each weekday. The Boys & Girls Club will be holding a community meeting in January to bring the community on board and work with the Board of Directors to make a formal plan for fundraising and long term planning. For people out there wanting to make a difference now or to help, please contact Mike Reiderer at (802) 877-6344 or send a taxable donation to the Boys & Girls Club. “Vergennes has always been not only supportive, but enthusiastic about the club,” concluded Mike Reiderer. “We are still here and still reaching toward our goal of helping each child to find and reach their potential.”

With the economic forecast still an unsettling and rocky one, it will take the combined talents of the Board, Boys & Girls Club staff and the local people working together to channel energy, time and commitment to keep the club moving forward and securing its role as a partner in the raising of the youth of the area. This reporter, having served as the first president of the original Board of Directors of the Vergennes Club seconds the call to action and hopes all will stay tuned for the date of the January Community Meeting and that locals will call Mike Reiderer with thoughts, ideas and comments. Just remember, in 1998 this was an idea, concept and a dream. Today the Vergennes Boys & Girls Club is in its thirteenth year of reaching out and touching lives of teens and adults.  Remember, as so many of us do that Sam Allo and his wife Fran were, “all about the kids,” and in this case their words echo to the next generation cherishing home, children and their future.

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