Boys and Girls Club of Carbon County Press Release
Each weekday during the summer, the teens of Carbon County have been provided with a fun, safe, supervised environment by a group of donors who are invested in the success of the Boys and Girls Club of Carbon County. These donors provided funding for summer activities, which included weekly service at the community garden, monthly swimming outings, family game nights, weekly hikes, leadership and music clubs, two camping trips and other daily club activities.
“We were happy to help,” said Emery Telcom’s Barbara Rasmussen. “Emery Telcom is very conscious of the good work done by organizations in our community, and we want to give back whenever we can.”
As a non-profit organization, the boys and girls club requires investment by people and organizations who believe in their vision, explained club director Josie Luke. “We were honored by the support of organizations like Eastern Utah Community Credit Union, Emery Telcom, the Price Elks Lodge and others who believed that investing in our program could make a difference for the youth in our community,” she stated.
The boys and girls club has not typically offered a summer program, but at the end of the school year the staff saw a clear need for a safe place for teens to go during the summer. Luke presented the plan to the organization’s board of trustees, and as then board president Megan Marshall put it, the group hoped “good karma” would provide a way for them to acquire the funding.
“I really didn’t know how we would make it work,” Luke admitted. “We didn’t have the funding to do it. But really amazing people and organizations stepped up, and in my mind they made a miracle happen.”
The summer program drew 22 new members to the boys and girls club and provided activities to the participants from 12 to 4 p.m. each weekday. Members participated in volunteer and leadership activities, learned healthy eating and exercise habits, hiked and learned the history of a number of local sites and some even went camping for the first time.
One teen member said her favorite part of the summer activities was playing “capture the flag” on the camping trips. “It was so much fun,” she said. “I was with my friends and it was fun sneaking around in the dark.”
The club also received donations from the Walmart Foundation, Sun Advocate, Albert Bouvier, Janet Allin, Utah State University, Rocky Mountain Power, Industrial Electric, Dinosaur Tire, Ascension St. Matthews Church and the Eastern Utah Parrot Head organization.
Community members provided fun programs for the teens, as well. Layne Miller guided the members on weekly hiking excursions; Tonia Turpin did “Voices,” a self-esteem program; Linda Patterson, with USU Extension did a nutrition class and Tina Allred, of Huntington taught the teens Zumba.
In addition to donor investment, boys and girls club board members and employees sold concessions at the Lunatic Triathlon, Energy Days Celebration, Monster Truck Show, International Days and the Helper Arts Festival. They also held fundraisers including a dodge-ball tournament, Dunk the Candidate event and an outdoor cooking contest in partnership with Tony Basso RV and ATV.
The mission of the Boys and Girls Club of Carbon County is to inspire youth, families and the community to realize their full potential as productive, responsible and caring citizens. We provide a fun, safe, supervised environment for educational and recreational activities where youth can develop the self-esteem and qualities needed to become productive community leaders and members.
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- Photos courtesy of Boys and Girls Club of Carbon County.
