Boys & Girls Clubs of Porter County, an after-school and summer youth development organization serving youth in grades K-12, received several grant opportunities to either continue or enhance programs that are relevant and exciting to children ages 5 to 18. Every child deserves a GREAT Future, and such funding will help Boys & Girls Clubs of Porter County provide endless opportunities for youth. Recent funding includes:
$4,720 from the Indiana Arts Commission; South Shore Arts; and National Endowment of the Arts for the organization’s Fine Arts programming. This is a first time grant that allowed our Clubs to partner with Boys & Girls Club of Northwest Indiana in a cross-county Fine Arts Exhibit held at Southlake Mall the last weekend of October. All first place pieces judged at this exhibit will move on to a 13-state Midwest regional competition.
$5,000 from Boys & Girls Clubs of America to form a First Robotics Lego League at the Duneland Club. This funding was leveraged through the support of a 2014 STEM Grant from ArcelorMittal who helped to establish robotics within the organization. Duneland Club members in this program will be competing in Indiana University Northwest’s Lego robotics completion at the end of November.
$5,000 from Best Buy Community Grant to purchase digital music studio equipment for the Duneland Club. Club members are very interested in both music and technology. The funding of this equipment will allow youth to explore their creative and music making talents at the Club.
$5,080 from the Porter County Substance Abuse Council to fund the comprehensive prevention program, SMART Girls. This program is a health, fitness, prevention/education and self-esteem enhancement program for all girls ages 8 to 17 years.
$25,000 from Porter County Community Foundation for Boys & Girls Clubs of Porter County Duneland Club’s Capital Campaign efforts. Funding will help to expand and enhance the Duneland Club to serve more children in the Chesterton community.
“We are proud to partner with entities that truly care about kids and want to make a positive impact on their futures. Such funding allows us to keep giving our Club members the best while allowing them to expand their interests and talents. We are more than thankful for these opportunities for our kids, our Clubs, and our collective communities,” states Ryan Smiley, president of Boys & Girls Clubs of Porter County.
Boys & Girls Clubs of Porter County has been opening doors to GREAT FUTURES for Porter County’s youth since 1971. Clubs are open after school and provide a great place for youth in grades K-12 to meet friends and have fun while in a safe, supervised environment. When school is out, our Clubs are in! Clubs are open during holidays and in the summer. Annual membership is only $35.00. Financial assistance is available to those who qualify. For information on membership, volunteer opportunities, or to make a tax deductible donation to Boys & Girls Clubs of Porter County, please contact your local Club, call (219) 464-7282 or visit bgcpoco.org. Great Futures Start HERE.