The Boys and Girls Club will return later this month to Helen Arnold Community Learning Center, after funding was restored following a closure announcement, and some community outcry, in August.
The after-school program will reopen Sept. 16 at the Sherbondy Hill middle school; registration is currently open.
“It’s a blessing to be able to have them back,” Helen Arnold Principal LaMonica Davis said. “It creates a sense of comfort for families to know their children will be taken care of after the school day.”
The reopening of the club, along with four others that were shuttered across Northeast Ohio, is possible due to a reallocation of unspent federal money by the Ohio Alliance of Boys & Girls Clubs. Specifically, the Ohio Alliance shifted unspent pandemic relief and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families money to five recently closed clubs.
The move is expected to help up to 300 children this fall attend a Boys and Girls Clubs of Northeast Ohio (BGCNEO) program.
Davis said the reopened club at Helen Arnold will accept about 40 students. In its brief absence, other organizations have offered after-school support.
“The one blessing about them closing [is it] has opened doors for other agencies to come in and do the same thing the Boys and Girls Club does,” Davis said. “That has opened up more opportunities for kids.”
The Salvation Army, YMCA and Boys and Girls Clubs are preparing to offer after-school programs at Helen Arnold. Additionally, BF Empowerment, a mental health service provider in Akron, is seeking approval to operate a program at the school.
Davis is hosting an informational meeting for parents on Monday, Sept. 9, at 5:30 p.m. at Helen Arnold.
“We are so thankful for this reallocated support from the state and our partners at the Ohio Alliance,” said Allen Smith, the CEO of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Northeast Ohio, in a news release. “The governor and the legislature have been great partners with BGCNEO, and we’re grateful for this funding.” Smith said the goal for the clubs is to serve as many kids throughout the region as possible. ”This funding helps us do just that.”
In addition to Helen Arnold’s program, BGCNEO announced clubs at Westwood Middle School in Elyria, Huron Primary School in Ashtabula, Westwood Elementary School in Wellington, and Elmwood Elementary School in Garfield Heights will reopen.
While funding has been secured to reopen some clubs this year, BGCNEO is continuing its fundraising efforts to maintain and potentially increase their capacity going forward, Smith said.
Signal Akron media partner WKYC Studios, a partner of BGCNEO, is hosting an on-air telethon on Thursday, Sept. 26, to raise money for the organization. Oswald Companies will sponsor the event and has committed to making a $10,000 donation.
