At an event to mark national Boys and Girls Clubs Week, Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine Wednesday announced his office will provide a $4.35 million grant to the Ohio Alliance of Boys & Girls Clubs for their Great Futures for Ohio’s Kids growth program. The grant will help open new clubs in Ohio and expand existing programs.
Boys and Girls Clubs offer a safe, positive place for kids to spend their non-school hours with dedicated programming, homework help and meals.
“I’ve seen first-hand how Boys and Girls Clubs provide young people with a safe and supportive place to learn and grow, and I am pleased that we can provide funding to help expand them in Ohio so that even more kids can benefit from the Boys & Girls Clubs experience,” said Attorney General DeWine.
The grant from the Attorney General’s Office will be used to expand Ohio’s Boys and Girls Clubs to three Ohio cities that have not previously had the program – Marietta, West Chester and Wooster.
In addition, 13 new clubhouse sites expanding the reach of Boys and Girls Clubs to underserved communities will be part of the grant including sites in: Akron (one site at Western Reserve); Clermont County (one site at Mt. Carmel); Cleveland (two sites in East Cleveland and one site in Hough-Glenville); Columbus (one site at Weinland Park and one on the South Side); Lorain County (two sites – Lorain High School and the Lorain Mall); Massillon (two sites at closed elementary schools), and a site in Marion.
While details on the exact amount of money they will receive, as well as any restrictions, have not yet been worked out, the Boys & Girls Club of Marion County expressed excitement, saying the grant will help them offer their programs to more local kids in need. The club expects to open their new home at the former Oak Street Elementary in time for their summer program. You can learn more about the local club at www.bgcmarion.org.
“We want this grant to encourage additional investments by others of time, talent and resources in Boys & Girls Clubs and to help them continue to improve the lives of Ohio’s young people, and help them achieve their dreams” said Attorney General DeWine.
The grant funds are from part of the National Mortgage Settlement that was reached by the nation’s attorneys general in 2012.
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