Monday, December 10, 2012

Making Better Decisions for Stronger Futures

While we may appear to be just an after-school program to some,  we are much more than that.  Program supervision and providing a safe and enjoyable environment is important, however we also strive to reach our members with other areas to help them with decision making skills that will follow them throughout their lives. 

Of course our program offers fun activities, games, snack, and homework help but we also have implemented some pretty powerful Boys & Girls Club programs to help with our mission. This year we have once again implemented our Healthy Habits program, Smart Moves program, Power Hour/ Project Learn, and Triple Play Challenges programs.  These programs help encourage our member to make better decisions to be healthier, fit, and more confident in school and with their friends.

Our Healthy Habits program has been a pretty big hit this year.  Along with running our own Healthy Habits curriculum, we invited in a nutritionist from West Orange Shoprite to teach our kids about eating healthy!  Lachell Miller visits each site once a month to discuss the importance of healthy eating and facilitates a fun edible project. Here are some pictures of Lachell's sessions.


To help members improve their confidence, we are proud to continue providing Smart Moves at each site.   Besides facilitating our regular sessions, every year we like to invite Gale Richter (from B.A.B.E.S.) to run a few sessions on a few different topics.   Her initial sessions, Gale discussed the effects of Drugs and Alcohol and how to avoid accidental ingestion.   Subsequent sessions included discussions about bullying and how to avoid such situations.  Gale also ran fun activities to reinforce her topics.


Besides our incredible visitors, our staff has been monumental in helping us achieve our goals (helping each of our members make the best decisions for a brighter future).  Every day our staff gives our members all of their hearts and attention.  Keeping our children safe and supervised is an important part of their positions, but they go above and beyond helping them in any way they can.  Whether it's with homework, the best way to throw a football, or even help tie their shoes, our staff is there!