As people welcome in the New Year, many make resolutions to begin living healthier lives by exercising more and eating well. Boys & Girls Clubs of Porter County keeps their commitment of healthy lifestyle programming a strong promise year-round for Club members!
“It is our job to help set every kid and teen on a path toward a GREAT future, and being physically fit is a critical part of the equation. That’s why we are committed to implementing programs that focus on having our young people meet a minimum of 60-minutes of daily physical activity,” states Ryan Smiley, president of Boys & Girls Clubs of Porter County.
Boys & Girls Clubs of Porter County is well known for its Sports, Fitness and Recreation Programs, particularly its sports leagues. In fact, many Club alumni when reminiscing about their Club membership usually talk about their participation in the Club’s sports leagues. “Our leagues are an important program within our Clubs,” Smiley states further. “They also differ from other leagues as we do focus on the physical fitness of Club members, but our leagues are leaders in skill building and teaching sportsmanship.”
Boys & Girls Clubs of Porter County’s leagues have continued to remain strong, in large part, to the sponsors that help fund such programming. Many of the Clubs’ league sponsors have participated in this program for a very long time. Currently, Winter Basketball is beginning at the Portage and South Haven Clubs and Indoor Soccer at the Valparaiso Club. Further, each Club was able to create a Teen Travel Basketball Team which adds a higher level of competiveness that our Teen Club members enjoy.
Though many youth and Teens are introduced to Boys & Girls Clubs of Porter County through league registration, many quickly find there are other physical fitness programs they can participate in like daily gymnasium activities, SPARK, Healthy Habtis, Cooking Club and Triple Play.
“We simply could not provide our Club members with this much activity if it were not for our sponsors. Special thanks to Little Caesar’s, Culver’s of Valparaiso, Affinity Granite, Rusthead Design, Accurate Home Improvement, Lakeshore Bone & Joint Institute, Family Express, Porter Starke, Salvora’s Pizza, SCG Guilders, Land Designers, The Ground Specialists, Horizon Bank, Rosewood Restaurant, Dan Bizik State Farm Insurance, and Porter Health Systems. If you are interested in sponsoring a league, contact Alison Martin at (219) 464-7282, Extension 226 or via email at amartin@bgcpoco.org.
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.