Boys and Girls Club Open House

Come Celebrate the New Year with the Boys and Girls Club of Bethalto.  We’ve made so many improvements to our facility and we can’t wait to share it with the community!  In October of 2009 the Boys & Girls Club purchased their current building from the Bethalto School District and celebrated their new ownership by beginning plans to improve and expand the facility. Thanks to a large donation made during the All Star game in 2009 from State Farm, in partnership with Major League Baseball, our Teen Center was built and opened in April 2010.  With the momentum from their donation, as well as significant donations and volunteer efforts we built an addition to increase our space by 3000 square feet. With an $18,000.00 donation made by Bethalto’s Mayor Steve Bryant's Mayor's Charity events of 2010, additional major improvements have been made including our newly refinished gym floor.  We want the community to see it all at our open house celebration Sunday, January 16 anytime from 1 to 4 p.m.  Several proud members of the Boys and Girls Club would love to give tours of our greatly improved facility.    Interactive activities will be going on all afternoon including Wii and Kinects.  Stop by and have some refreshments and check it out!   The Boys and Girls Club of Bethalto now has even more to offer the youth of Bethalto and surrounding communities.  

The Bethalto Club was started in 1968 by a small group of local parents and businessmen who felt the need to provide the young boys of the area with “a positive place to go”. The group formed a board, incorporated as a not for profit, bought and converted an old church building, and began operating the Boys Club of Bethalto with all volunteers. In 1972, the board hired their first executive director, Dan Smith, and having met all requirements of membership, became an affiliate of the national Boys & Girls Clubs of America organization. In 1980 the Bethalto School District offered the current building for lease and the Club moved from their small church building just down the street. In 1989, recognizing the need to serve girls as well, the Club changed its name to the Boys & Girls Club of Bethalto. The Club also has 21st Century Community Learning Center afterschool sites at East Alton Middle School and Lovejoy School in Brooklyn. Today the Club serves over 1600 youth annually from Bethalto and 14 surrounding communities; a huge increase from the 50 boys served during the first years.

Mission:
To inspire and enable all young people, especially those from disadvantaged circumstances, to realize their full potential as productive, responsible and caring citizens.
The Boys & Girls Club of Bethalto adheres to the following core principals. We provide:
A safe place to learn and grow
Ongoing relationships with caring, adult professionals
Life-enhancing programs and character development experiences
Hope and opportunity

The Boys & Girls Club follows a Youth Development Strategy to serve our members. We strive to incorporate the following in all our members:
A sense of belonging- provide a setting where he/she feels welcome and fits in.
A sense of usefulness- provide the opportunity to contribute and do something of value for others.
A sense of competence- provide opportunities for success so they feel there is something they do well and that is respected by their peers.
A sense of power or influence- provide an opportunity to be heard, listened to, cared about, and to influence decisions.
We believe that by using this strategy in our work with youth, we will give them the skills to make responsible choices and act against negative influences in their lives.

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