MARSHFIELD – The Boys & Girls Club of Marshfield continues to expand through programming and fundraising efforts as it works toward establishing a permanent youth center in the city.
The club opened this summer at Grant Elementary School, offering programs for school-aged children from noon to 5:30 p.m.
Activities include arts and crafts, intramural sports and academic support.
Staff said that “daily attendance averages between 85 and 100 children.”
Kaitlyn Konrardy, director of community outreach, said the club’s fee structure depends on outside assistance.
“Due to our low-fee structure for our members, we do rely a lot on grants as well as individual monetary contributions to help keep our programs alive and running,” Konrardy said. “We really do rely on our community to help support these programs and to keep our kids in a safe, supportive space.”
The organization recently launched an operational campaign to support staffing, supplies and initial program costs.
“Right now, we’re running an operational campaign of $1 million,” Konrardy said. “We’re happy to say that we’re 91% of the way there. We received a matching gift of $500,000.”
Konrardy said all donations made toward the goal are being doubled.
“Every gift that we get is going to be matched,” she said. “That’s been huge in getting us closer to our goal.”
The club is currently using school facilities while planning to develop its own location.
“The ultimate goal is to build that standalone center,” Konrardy said. “We’re looking into possible locations here in the Marshfield area so we can expand our services to serve even more youth and develop programs for teens and tweens.”
Staff reported strong engagement in the first few months of operation.
“It’s just a really great environment for the kids to be in, and I’m glad that we can do this for Marshfield right now,” Konrardy said.
The Boys & Girls Club of Marshfield operates as part of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America network.
The organization’s national mission is to provide young people with mentorship, educational opportunities and recreation in a safe setting.
For more information, visit www.marshfieldbgc.org.
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