Cape Girardeau, Scott City celebrate return of Boys and Girls Club

A worker with the Boys and Girls Clubs of Southeast Missouri talks with a student in October 2021.

Southeast Missourian file

The Boys and Girls Club has been part of the Cape Girardeau community for over two decades and Scott City since 2017.

This club provides a safe and enriching environment for children after school for those in the area. The COVID-19 pandemic impacted the club, leading to a significant decline in participation and the eventual shutdown in the fall of 2023. In October 2023, new leadership was brought in with a mission to revitalize the organization and restore it in the two towns.

The post-pandemic was hard for many and some such as the Boys and Girls Club are still rebuilding what they lost. The club faced a hard decision when it had to shut down after 23 years of service.

A worker talks with kids at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Southeast Missouri in October 2021.

Southeast Missourian file

However, the hiring of Matt McDonald as the area’s new CEO in October 2023 marked the beginning of a rebuilding effort. This new leadership, with a background in revitalizing organizations in churches, was tasked with rebuilding the club from the bottom. McDonald said his niche leadership is revitalization and that is why he was hired, to restart the clubs in the area.

“I hired a whole new staff, and we relaunched both clubs in January after being closed for one semester. So, we’ve just been rebuilding, reviving the organization that before COVID, was pretty healthy,” McDonald said.

The club relaunched in January 2024, receiving an encouraging response from the community. The spring semester saw 25 kids in Cape Girardeau and 45 in Scott City, a significant improvement from the previous year.

The summer brought even more success with two six-week camps, one in each town, serving more than 200 children. The camps were made possible through various grants, including support from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, the Taco Bell Foundation and the Missouri Department of Health.

The summer camps were a big hit with the kids, with the club providing two hot meals each day and activities from academic support to field trips. The introduction of new programs, such as Project Learn funded by the Taco Bell Foundation, helped children explore future career possibilities through guest speakers and field trips. The Department of Health’s Summer Food Service Program grant enabled the club to serve hot breakfasts and lunches, a first for the organization.

“We were feeding almost 200 people a day, two hot meals a day for six weeks. That’s awesome, yeah, and it ended up being almost $40,000 just the meals, like the food and the salary for the cooks alone was almost $40,000 for the summer and the Department of Health’s Summer Food Service Program paid for it all,” McDonald said.

As the club looks ahead to the fall semester, it plans to expand its offerings, including the addition of a middle school class in Scott City. This expansion is crucial, given the limited after-school options in the area.

The club’s new vision includes treating both Cape Girardeau and Scott City as equal sites, each with its own full-time staff member. Bill Bird oversees the Cape Girardeau site, while a new hire will manage Scott City, marking the first time the latter has had a full-time employee.

The daily schedule is set up into three-hour blocks: academic support, health and fitness and character development. Programs range from tutoring and homework help to arts and crafts, workforce readiness and drug prevention. Future goals include hosting three camps next summer and increasing community engagement.

The Boys and Girls Club makes sure it is affordable for each student who wants to join. The program charges a one-time registration fee of $50, with an additional $25 for any extra children. For families unable to afford this fee, scholarships are available to cover the cost, making the program virtually free.

“Our whole thing is, like, the kids that we’re serving, the parents that we’re serving, they are low-income, working class, single moms. etc. They can’t afford after-school care. They can’t afford day care in the summer,” McDonald said. “So we are trying to serve our community and give an option for them. We have kids that come just because of the programming and the quality, even if they could afford to pay, they still send their kids to come. But I would say 90% of our members are low-income.”

Enrollment is open throughout the year, allowing students to join anytime. This flexibility ensures that no child is left out. The club also aims to expand its summer camps to accommodate more children and avoid the waitlists they had this year, ensuring every child has the opportunity to participate.

The Boys and Girls Club also has recently been awarded tax credits through the Neighborhood Assistance Program by the Department of Economic Development. These credits offer significant benefits for local businesses, including realtors, farmers and self-employed individuals. By donating to the Boys and Girls Club, businesses can essentially waive their business taxes, ensuring their tax money directly supports local community initiatives.

This opportunity not only benefits the Boys and Girls Club, but also allows businesses to invest in the future of their community. The club plans to raise awareness about this program through a news release, encouraging local businesses to take advantage of this unique opportunity.

For more information, visit the Boys and Girls Club website at www.bgcsemo.org.