Hello and Welcome to HOF: Helping Our Families!

              HOF: Helping Our Families, one child at a time by creating a Boys and Girls Club

Hardy County West Virginia.

Are you aware that between 3 p.m. – 7 p.m. nationally, juvenile crime escalates because 15.1 million kids are left unsupervised?¹ Let’s eliminate that escalation period for our juveniles of Hardy County, by providing a place to play, learn and grow together after school. Did you know that nation wide 3 out of 10 kids are obese or overweight?² Let’s eradicate latch key kids going home alone to sit in front of the television and snack. Let’s listen to 80% of Club alumni who report the Club had a positive impact on their attitudes toward health and fitness, according to a Harris Survey.³

Over 150 years ago, three women recognized the need for boys to have an alternative to roaming the streets, so they organized the first Club.³ By 1906 several boys clubs decided to form an affiliation and the Federated Boys Clubs with members representing 53 organizations marked the start of movement toward a national organization.³ Since girls are a part of the Club’s cause, Congress amended the charter in 1990 to reflect the name to what is known today as Boys and Girls Clubs of America.³ To celebrate the golden anniversary of the Club, Aaron Fahringer scripted the Boys and Girls code which was adopted by the National Council in 1955.³    This code holds true today and is displayed still in many Clubs.

        The Boys & Girls Club Code

“I believe in God and the right to worship according to my own faith and religion. I believe in America and the American way of life…in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. I believe in fair play, honesty and sportsmanship. I believe in my Boys & Girls Club, which stands for these things.”³

HOF: Helping Our Families, late in the year 2015 recognizes the need for children of Hardy County to have a place after school to socialize, engage in learning experiences and grow in wisdom. Thus the dream is conceived to join the affiliation of the Boys and Girls Clubs of America creating our own, Hardy County Boys and Girls Club.

Partnering with local organizations who share the same philosophy and similar mission we will enhance opportunities afforded to the youth of Hardy County. Starting a Boys and Girls Club begins with one person who takes an interest in the children of our community and then engages others in discussion. It requires involvement from civic organizations, our churches and schools, health departments, professionals and laborers, and many others who hope to see productive youth in our community.  I have the interest, will you be one of the many others to get involved? If so…Let’s Talk!

While it takes contributions from multiple organizations to be successful, I will begin by seeking relationships with Faith Mission Church, Lions Club, American Legion and Auxiliary, Veterans of Foreign Wars and Auxiliary, and Boys and Girl Scouts of America. All of these organizations have demonstrated that their missions align with the mission of the Boys and Girls Clubs.  Their interest in the youngsters of our community is evident by the programs they support and the positive impact resulting from that support. They provide back packs to underprivileged kids, supply our local library with books, conduct a reading time for preschoolers, send boys and girls to camp to learn about our government and lead community service activities. Each of these organizations conduct ongoing campaigns to enhance youngsters’ lives. I hope to align with these organizations in an effort to combine resources, capitalize on their experience and create an environment where children thrive and become productive, contributing citizens in our community.

When each of us become part of the mission, we aid the children in our county and enrich their lives in ways only previously imaginable. HOF: Helping Our Families, hopes to create a safe place for children to play, learn, and grow in a healthy environment, support families, and to increase opportunities steering youth toward positive encounters for better lives.

1. U.S. Department of Juvenile Justice. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Statistical Briefing Book. http://www.ojjdp.gov/ojstatbb/offenders/qa03401.asp?qaDate=2008 . Released on December 21, 2010. Accessed: August 26, 2015.
2. Ogden CI, Carroll MD, Curten LR, et al. Prevalence of High Body Mass Index in US Children and Adolescents, 2007-2008. Journal of the American Medical Association. 2010; 303(3): 242-249.
3. Boys and Girls Clubs of America. The Boys and Girls Code. The Official Site of Boys & Girls Clubs of America. © Boys  & Girls Clubs of America. http://www.bgca.org/whoweare/Pages/History.aspx. Accessed August 26, 2015.