Press Release Contact: HOF: Helping Our Families
For Immediate Release
Email: shof@liberty.edu
Date: September 27, 2015
Website: https://helpingourfamilies.wordpress.com
Growing Successful Children in Hardy County
In American communities, children are left at home to find their own recreation and friendships with no adult care or supervision.1 Boys and Girls Clubs of America offer a safe environment with services that help children feel competent, useful and important, leading them to great futures.1 There are many programs to aid in character development, promote leadership abilities, provide assistance with educational and career goals, teach health and life skills, encourage participation in the arts, sports, fitness and recreation and specialized programs to meet specific needs within the community.1
Hardy County, in the Potomac Highlands consists of 575 square miles with 2,284 families with 997 single parent homes.2 Single parent homes tend to have limited resources which could affect the quality of parenting, presenting disadvantages and in turn affecting the outcomes for children.3 Some of the reasons for these disadvantages stem from a lack of resources including access to health care, safe housing, nutritious food, exercise, high quality education, fewer social opportunities, exposure to toxins in the environment, less optimal parenting and exposure to violence and trauma.4 In looking for a solution to these problems the possibility of a Boys and Girls Club of Hardy County was investigated.
The Boys and Girls Club has core beliefs which we know will enhance the lives of our children. These core beliefs are: a safe place to learn and grow, ongoing relationships with caring adult professionals, life-enhancing programs, character development experiences and hope and opportunity.1 Their mission, “to enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens,”1 will teach children to strive for things they did not think possible. Nationwide, the Club serves the many age groups, divided in the following age brackets: 5% are 5 years and younger, 65% are between the ages of 6-12, 13-15 year olds total 19% and lastly 10% are children 16 and older.1 We know starting a Boys and Girls Club of Hardy County will improve outcomes for children of all ages in our county.
According to Healthy People 2020, “children need to be presented better opportunities for success and offered the environment conducive to thrive.”5 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tell us, “One circumstance is not responsible for negative outcomes for children but rather a combination of many difficult circumstances result in poor outcomes for children.”6 In 1993, Denzel Washington described his experience, “The Boys and Girls Club of America is a positive place, where thousands of people, like Billy Thomas, help young people succeed. Does it work? It did for me.”1
Whether or not you have children, as a citizen of Hardy County, children affect you. It’s my intent that affect will be positive. The creation of a Boys and Girls Club of Hardy County gives children of all ages a place to play, learn, grow and prosper, in a safe caring environment with adult supervision, keeping them off of the streets and away from being home alone.
Please learn about the opportunities provided by The Boys and Girls Club of America. To learn about the organization visit their official website, http://bgca.org/Pages/index.aspx. HOF: Helping Our Families, wants you to visit our blog for the Boys and Girls Club of Hardy County at, https://helpingourfamilies.wordpress.com/. Finally, as the founder of the Boys and Girls Club of Hardy County, all are encouraged to join me, October 1 at 2:00p.m. at the LaunchPad on Main Street in Wardensville for refreshments, an exciting video, and information. Please come and share your thoughts and express your concerns.
References
- Boys and Girls Club of America. http://www.bgca.org/Pages/index.aspx. Accessed September 22, 2015.
- County Health Ratings and Roadmaps. Health Rankings. http://www.countyhealthrankings.org/app/west-virginia/2015/measure/factors/82/data. Accessed September 7, 2015.
- Waldfogel J, Craigie TA, Grooks-Gunn J. Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing. The Future of Children. Princeton University. Fragile Families. Fall 2010; 20:2: 87-112. http://www.jstor.org/stable/20773696. Accessed September 12, 2015.
- The Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics. America’s Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being. http://www.childstats.gov/forum. Accessed: September 7, 2015.
- Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. Healthy People 2020. 2020 Topics and Objectives. Early and Middle Childhood. http://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topics-objectives/topic/early-and-middle-childhood. Accessed September 8, 2015.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Healthy Development/Developmental Monitoring and Screening. http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/childdevelopment. Accessed September 8, 2015.
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HOF: Helping Our Families 