Lorain County Boys and Girls Club

History

The Boys and Girls Club of Lorain County opened in March 1999. On March 3, 2993, the Boys and Girls Club of Lorain County in collaboration with the Lorain Metropolitan Housing Authority opened an extension site in Lorain, Ohio, thus becoming the Boys and Girls Clubs of Lorain County. In 2004, the Boys and Girls Club of Lorain County opened two units in Lorain. They expanded into Elyria in 2005, and in December 2005, the Club instituted its After School programming in Lorain and provided transportation from middle schools to the teen center.

Key Elements

Character and Leadership Development

• helping youth become responsible caring citizens and acquire skills for participating in the democratic process.
• Program aims: organizing events, learning and sharing about different cultures, developing appreciation of diversity within the Club, leadership opportunities

Education and Career Development

• Enables youth to become proficient in basic educational disciplines, apply learning to everyday situations and embrace technology to optimize employability.
• Program aims: homework assistance, supporting local schools, computer literacy, opportunities to read, write, discuss with adults, playing games that utilize cognitive skills, outdoor and environmental learning opportunities

Health and Life Skills

• Develops young people's capacity to engage in positive behaviors that nurture their own well-being, set personal goals and develop the competencies to live successfully as self-sufficient adults.
• Program aims: developing skills in independent living, life planning, and decision-making, regular health fairs and screenings, nutritious snack or meal, health and nutrition activities, receiving accurate information about tobacco, drugs, and premature sexual activity, learning risk avoidance techniques

The Arts

• Help young people enhance self-expression and creativity, develop multicultural appreciation, provide exposure to and develop skills in crafts and visual, performing and literary arts.
• Programs aims: simple to complex activities, interaction and/or observation of professional artists, exposure to arts of diverse cultures, computer technology, display of artwork
  Sports, Fitness, and Recreation
• Develops fitness, positive use of leisure time, skills for stress management, appreciation for the environment, and social and interpersonal skills.
• Program aims: daily fun, fitness, and leisure-oriented activities, age-appropriate and gender-specific, intramural team and individual traditional and non-traditional sports, encouragement to participate in physical activities for 30 minutes per day, coaches are trained on how to work with young people, positive communication, and teamwork, recreational activities that enable members to acquire and enhance social skills, make new friends, and gain confidence

Specialized Program Initiatives include Urban Services, Outreach, Family Support Programs, Latino Outreach, Gender Inclusion Guide, and Safety Management.

Annual Budget

Membership fee is $5.

Staffing Needs

There were 80 employees in December of 2005.