The Boys & Girls Club of the Plateau will soon have a new home.
The club recently closed on an approximately three-acre tract of land in the heart of Cashiers, where it plans to build a new facility for its afterschool program in support of local-area children, according to a Friday news statement.
Located across the street from its current location in the Cashiers Community Center off Frank Allen Road, the new facility will be located within walking distance of the Albert Carlton Cashiers Community Library, the Cashiers Glenville Recreation Center, and The Village Green. Preliminary plans for the new campus include an 8,300 square-foot classroom and activity building, a 7,200 square-foot covered open-air gym, playgrounds, parking, bus drop-off facilities, and green space.
The purchase comes at a time when membership at the BGCP has more than doubled since the club opened its doors six years ago, growing from an initial 100 members to 234 members this year.
Because of space limitations in the current facility, the Boys & Girls Club can serve only 80 members per day in a facility designed for almost half that.
“We know that our program works, but we have had to turn children away because we have outgrown our space.” said Josh Helms, BGCP Executive Director. “One third of the school-aged children in Southern Jackson County are BGCP members, a percentage that wildly exceeds Boys & Girls Club averages nationwide.”
In celebration of the new land purchase, small “open-tent and open-field” gatherings are being held on the new property to show the community plans for the future.
“These outdoor sessions are taking place with the Boys & Girls Club’s young members, volunteers, capital donors, present and past board members, founders and other stakeholders,” Helms said. “Only five short years ago, convenient, affordable afterschool programming for the students of Southern Jackson County effectively did not exist.”
This lack of programming created a great hardship for the parents of year-round families of the community, whose work schedules did not always allow them to offer their children the extracurricular activities readily available to families in urban and suburban areas. Parents had to seek out grandparents, neighbors, or older siblings to supervise their younger children after the end of the school day, and when such care was not available, children were often left without homework help, supervised physical activity, or education opportunities; at worst, they risked exposure to harmful behaviors and activities.
“The Boys & Girls Club has achieved incredible results in the six years since its opening,” Helms said. “With programming focused on academic success, healthy lifestyles, and character development, BGCP members are already demonstrating the benefits of participating in Boys & Girls Clubs curriculum. In an annual survey conducted by Boys & Girls Club of America, 86-percent of our local members had reported A or B grades on their report cards; 100 percent expected to graduate from high school, and 89 percent of our members reported being physically active more than5 five days per week.”
Helms said the Boys & Girls Club is making a significant impact in the lives of local families.
“Parents depend on BGCP to be able to perform their jobs and support their families,” he said.
Nat Turner, BGCP Board President said he was proud of the Boys & Girls Club program and what has been accomplished for the community in such a short period of time.
“With this new land purchase, we will have room to grow our program and to serve even more of our local-area children,” Turner said.
Turner added, the BGCP board and staff had been evaluating numerous land options for growth over the past year.
“Our new site is so well located and central to our community… this is the perfect site for our young children and future,” he said.
Turner also expressed his thanks and gratitude to the community for the support of the Boys & Girls Club and children.
“Our fundraising efforts continue, and we are hopeful for some significant announcements in the next few months regarding our construction plans,” he said.