CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Boys and Girls Clubs of Northeast Ohio is inviting youth to “Journey Through Summer” with art and science activities, field trips and play.
Their free summer program is open to youth ages 6-18, across 17 club locations, including five in Cuyahoga County. Programs tentatively run from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays, June 9 through Aug. 15, though exact hours vary by site.
Kids will receive a free meal, and some sites also offer free transportation.
There is no charge to join a club, but registration for the summer program is required. Parents can learn more and register their child at www.bgcneo.org.
It’s been a hard year after funding cuts closed half of the Northeast Ohio sites, but BGC’s Director of Programs Courtney Horne says the clubs hope to welcome back more kids for the summer. They have about 884 members signed up so far across the various sites, which is about 62% of their capacity goal.
“I heard a lot of kids say firsthand that coming to clubs just isn’t the same since we can’t have as many kids,” Horne told cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer. “But this summer…we’re really hoping to give back that old Boys and Girls Clubs feeling.”
Each week will feature a new theme. There’s outdoor appreciation week, where kids can try outdoor activities, like fishing. There’s “Great Futures Week” where they’ll meet local professionals and learn about potential careers. “Olympian Challenge Week” celebrates athleticism and sportsmanship through a variety of Olympic-inspired games.
Other week themes include “Creative Arts,” “STEAM” (science, technology, engineering, art, and math), “Explorers,” “Superhero,” “Holidays in July,” and “All Around the World.”
Gloria Jones, director at the King Kennedy Club in Cleveland’s Central Neighborhood, said she wants to incorporate more reading into her summer activities. It’s a subject that members often struggle with, she said. So, she’s planning extra story times and trips to the library “so kids don’t fall further behind.”
She’s also hoping to attract more teens to the summer program this year with sports and field trips to places like the art museum, zoo and the Metroparks. Volunteers are needed to help expand opportunities and engagement, she said.
“For some, it’s just a safe place to be,” Jones advocated. “They don’t have porches where they can sit and talk to their friends. They don’t have the backyard to go play. They need an area where they can go play and have fun and that’s what we provide.”
Cuyahoga County clubs with summer programs include:
- Broadway: 6114 Broadway Ave., Cleveland
- King Kennedy: 2561 E. 59th St., Cleveland
- Saint Luke’s: 2705 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Cleveland
- Bridge City Church: 3381 Fulton Road, Cleveland
- Elmwood: 5275 Turney Road, Garfield Heights
For a list of open clubs in Ashtabula, Erie, Huron, Lorain and Summit counties, visit bgcneo.org.
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