Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Clara Valley will kick off its annual “It Just Takes One” campaign this week. The campaign will raise funds for the Club’s after-school programs and services for youth, ages 5-18, living in Fillmore, Piru and Santa Paula. Scheduled to run through the end of February, 2010, the campaign seeks donations primarily from individuals.
Serving as the campaign’s co-chairs are Tony Soriano and Mike Mobley, past presidents of Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Clara Valley. The campaign’s goal this year is to raise 75,000 for the Clubs’ annual operating budget. Tony said, “We are proud to announce that to date, our campaign has raised $13,025.00 as a result of some early lead gifts. All we need now is the rest of our community to show their support, and we will be able to reach, maybe even exceed, our goal.”
“Our Clubs are making a difference in the community,” added Mobley. “Last year, our local Clubs served 5,641youth and families, a 7.5% increase from the year before. But there are still many more children in our community that need the kind of positive influence and guidance the Clubs provide, and we want to reach out to these youth and their families.”
Funds raised will help provide quality after school programs such as the Power Hour homework help program, computer skills training, career exploration, arts & crafts, fitness & sports, and character & leadership programs such as SMART Moves (a prevention program) and Youth of the Year (the Club’s premier recognition program).
The Boys & Girls Clubs mission is to enable all young people, especially those who need us the most, to realize their full potential as productive, responsible and caring citizens.
“The cost of providing the Boys & Girls Club experience to one child for a year is about $850” said Soriano. “You can see what a valuable investment that is when you compare it to the cost of incarcerating a youth who went in the wrong direction – usually $50,000 or more. The Clubs give a good return on investment.”