CLC and BGC Help For School

Year round, Monday through Friday, child's lives are being changed. The Boys and Girls Club (BGC) along with the three Community Learning Centers (CLC) in Sparta together help 600 children with homework.

"I like helping kids and helping them feel successful", said Mercedez Rodebaugh, a tutor at the Maplewood CLC.

The three local Community Learning Centers consist of Maplewood Elementary, Lawrence-Lawson Elementary , and Meadowview Intermediate and Middle. Just Maplewood alone has 60 children enrolled, and the Boys and Girls Club serves 300.

Lawerence-Lawson and Maplewood serve grades kindergarten through third, Meadowview serves fourth through eighth, and the Boys and Girls Club serves third grade and up.

"I wanted to be a teacher but didn't get the opportunity, so when I got the offer to be the coordinator of CLC I accepted," commented Kelli Johnson (pictured below).

All of these places help children improve in all different aspects. They increase academic success, build strong leadership and character, and healthy life skills. Not only does it help the children while they are in school now, it helps their grades improve, and get ahead for the future in case the children go to college. It also helps employee's improve their hands on experience for college and/ or their career.

The Boys and Girls Club is working on getting into the programs of Goals for Graduation, and Career Launch. Both of these programs prepare the children for their future.

Not only do you work with the children but you help change their lives. It's not all about homework either they have specified activities that help them grow in many ways.

The Executive Director, Wendy Franke, said, "I like helping out non-profit organizations such as the Club and I'm really good at raising money."

Mercedez added, "I took on a job at the CLC because I want to be a teacher's assistant. This experience also makes you more comfortable working with children and then you will already have hands on experience."

CLC is open from 6:30 to 7:45 am and 2:30 to 5:30 pm, Monday through Friday. All together there are ten tutors. The BGC is open from 2:30 to 7:30 pm, Monday through Friday. The staff includes four learning center staff plus two that rotate and eight other staff members that run fun filled and educational activities.

The picture to the left and above are tutors helping children in the learning center at the Boys and Girls Club.