GRAVETTE — The Boys and Girls Club of Western Benton County has operated a unit at the Gravette Civic Center since 2002. The Club will be closing its doors at that location March 30, 2018, as the city continues renovations on the center. Students that currently attend the after-school program in partnership with Gravette Public Schools will finish out the school year at the Upper Elementary School for after-school activities.
Boys and Girls Club CEO Chris Shimer would like to thank the community of Gravette, school and city leaders for all of their support over the years.
"Our organization understands the need to remodel the Gravette Civic Center. We look forward to working with the community to find a new location for our children in Gravette," said Shimer.
Mayor Kurt Maddox has offered help with finding a new facility. So far, the options have been cost prohibitive, but the club, city and school district will continue to discuss options going forward. As of now, there are no concrete plans for a summer program.
The Boys and Girls Club of Western Benton County currently operates four sites. The Club has a full unit in Siloam Springs that is a hub for athletics, after-school and summer programming. Club sites in Gentry and Decatur operate as extension units in the school districts.
The Club's board of directors is currently working on a plan to engage stakeholders in Gravette to explore new program models. The Boys & Girls Club of Western Benton County and Gravette Public Schools have partnered on the district's 21st Century Learning Program that has provided joint after-school services for the last five years. That grant-funded program is ending at the conclusion of this school year. The opportunity to reapply for funding is not certain at this time.
For more information about the Boys and Girls Club of Western Benton County, call 1-479-524-4174 or visit www.bgcwbc.org.
General News on 03/07/2018