Boys & Girls Club Children Who Call Local Shelters “Home” “If you arrived by van today, please line up in the entryway – it’s time for you to go home.” If
you stood at our reception desk at 4:00 pm on any day during the summer months, you would hear this exact announcement being made over our intercom system. What only our staff and a specific group of kids know is that this announcement translates to, “If you call one of the
4 local shelters home, you must line up to be transported back to the shelter.” No child should have
to call a shelter “home,” and yet they do. We know that we have some of the best shelters in the country, and they are a necessity. But, we also know that children need opportunities to thrive as children and access protective factors that combat the risk factors impacting homeless children. With these precious lives, the Club promotes social bonding, healthy/ nutritious education and meals, high yield learning activities, creative outlets, and a sense of belonging to a community. All of which can help them overcome food insecurity, isolation, missed educational opportunities and many other factors negatively impacting a child’s development. I share this with you as a call to action. The Boys & Girls Clubs of Kern County does NOT receive any targeted funding, government, or otherwise, to care for this special population, and yet we open our doors during the summer, winter, and spring without hesitation to any child living in local shelters over
the age of five years. To underwrite the transportation and program service costs for homeless children, foster children, and low-income families, we host two annual fundraisers to generate unrestricted dollars as well as solicit individual donations. This is our constant battle, and we hope you will consider joining us on the front lines by making a gift today. Picture the smiling faces and excited voices of children, who call the shelter “home” exiting our vans
and entering our Clubhouse doors with anticipation for the next eight hours of fun, friends and childhood experiences that can last a life-time. Picture the respite time for their parent(s) to get the professional assistance they need to get back on their feet while their children are safe and supported. Your investment has a direct impact on the future of this program and the children in our care!
ARTWORK BY ART SHERWYN, INSPIRED BY HIS STUDIES OF THE POOR AND UN-SHELTERED. “YOUNG CHILDREN WAITING IN LINE FOR FREE LUNCH.“ MEDIUM - CONTE AND CARDBOARD.