Boys & Girls Club of the Heartland will expand its services outside of Butler County this school year with the opening of a site in Malden.
The new site will serve the districts of Malden, Risco and Gideon, with an eye toward helping more youth from Dunklin and New Madrid counties in the future, said Chris Rushin, chief executive officer.
Enrollment opens at noon Thursday for all 10 of the club sites, including those in Butler County.
Club for the three new districts will be held at a combined location on the Malden campus, while the club looks to secure a permanent center, Rushin said. Services begin Oct. 1. The club expects to serve 120 students in total there, utilizing 17 part-time staff.
“The next closest club (from Poplar Bluff) is Boys and Girls Club of Southeast Missouri, which is headquartered in Cape Girardeau and also offers services in Scott City,” Rushin explained.
Both Dunklin and New Madrid counties have some of the highest rates of poverty in the state of Missouri, he shared.
“With limited funding, school districts need all the help they can get in providing a safe place for kids to go not only after school but also, in the case of the Malden School District, they have gone to a four-day week. (They will have) an all-day program each and every Monday.
“Our move to Malden is representative of our mission statement to enable all young people, especially the ones that need us the most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring responsible citizens.”
For the other nine club sites within Butler County, serving Poplar Bluff and Neelyville districts, sites will re-open with the new school year. That is Aug. 21, Aug. 22 and Aug. 23 respectively.
Each site receives similar services.
“Every afternoon our kids will get a full meal. Unfortunately for some kids, this will be the last meal of the day,” Rushin said. “Once they’re finished eating, we will have fun, energetic learning programs run by professional staff.”
This is done in cooperation with school districts.
“Our award-winning power hour program will provide targeted tutoring to each child,” he said. “Our other programs for the other two and half hours of the day will center on healthy lifestyles and promoting good citizenship.”
The new site at Malden will operate from the conclusion of the school day until 6:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Transportation to club will be provided, but parents will need to pick their children up after club, Rushin said. The group hopes to be able to offer transportation home in the future but it isn’t possible yet, he said.
“I applaud the efforts of the superintendents of all three school districts in making this a reality. This was not an easy chore for them to take on, but it’s obvious through their actions that they want the best for the kids they look after,” Rushin said.
Anytime the district can provide opportunities for students, it should, said Gideon Superintendent Jim Breece.
“The Boys and Girls Club provides the opportunity to get extra tutoring, help with homework and enrichment. Our district provides these but only two or three days a week,” he said. “Our students now have these opportunities all week.
“Food insecurity is also a challenge for some of our students and the Boys and Girls Club fills the gap. They will be sent home with a full stomach. All of the opportunities are positive and we hope our students take advantage of those opportunities.”
Malden schools also want to provide new opportunities for students, shared Superintendent Carie Fowler.
“We are excited to partner with the Boys and Girls Club of the Heartland as it has the possibility of opening doors for our students and providing greater opportunities for both their educational and personal growth,” she said.
Staff members from Boys and Girls Club will attend school open houses at each of the three districts before the start of the school year and can provide more information, Rushin said.
“I would encourage anyone interested in the program to go to our website. There’s an enormous amount of information,” he said.
Rushin also thanked the “incredible leap of faith” taken by the school boards, Boys & Girls Club staff, and the club’s Board of Directors in supporting this expansion.
The club already serves about 700 students a day at its other sites, which include multiple locations in Butler County districts.
Enrollment for all sites will take place on a first-come, first-served basis.
“If anyone has any difficulty with the enrollment process online, they can call our office at 573-776-1690,” Rushin said.
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