When Hannah began attending the Boys & Girls Clubs of Springfield, she was 5 years old and, now that she is 12, she still remembers going into Dance & Fitness for the first time and participating in Freeze Dance.
Call it a terrific place for her.
You see, Hannah’s mother struggled with a drug addiction that drove her away from her family, leaving Hannah’s father alone to raise both her and her brother Michael. The Boys & Girls Club was there for the siblings to provide stability, community and caring relationships. At the Club, Hannah and Michael receive a healthy snack and dinner, homework help, access to a variety of educational programming and, most importantly, a chance to just be kids.
But, for the siblings and like so many other young people in similar emotional trauma, the Club means much more. The Club is a second home, a family.
That’s why the Price Cutter Charity Championship presented by Dr Pepper is proud to have The Boys and Girls Club of Springfield on board again. The PGA Web.com Tour tournament, set for Aug. 10-13 at Highland Springs Country Club, has gifted almost $14 million to Ozarks children’s charities since 1990.
“The Boys & Girls Club helps me with my grades. I can do homework here with help from the tutors and staff,” Hannah said. “The choir and piano lessons let me learn how to become more talented with music. The Club gives me a lot of opportunities by being a place where I can go to things like Thanksgiving dinner, Christmas dinner, Christmas to Remember, Field Trips and Banquet of Champions. Many of my friends at school don’t have that opportunity. They go home, do their homework and go to bed. I get to go to the Club, sing, dance, do gymnastics, talk to friends and staff, eat dinner, and just have fun! The Club is like home. The Boys & Girls Club is my home.”
The Club was also there for Hannah and Michael when they received the news that their mother had passed away. The Clubs provided grief counseling as well as a network of staff and friends offering love and support.
“When my mom passed away, I had to go through a lot. I went through a lot of counseling. I was able to do that at my school and at my Club,” Hannah said. “People didn’t think that the Club could help me so much, but it did. It’s not counseling, but it really helped me because it’s like home to me and I was able to grow through the things I did every day. Nobody tried to make me feel a certain way they just loved me for who I am. The Club is my family,” explains Hannah.
Through opportunities at the Club, the staff have seen Hannah and Michael grow in the areas of Academics, Healthy Lifestyles, Music and Good Character & Citizenship. Hannah has recently been elected Club Mayor by her peers and was awarded 2015 Member of the Year, while Michael is a leader in the teen center. They both attend almost every day and participate in activities to the fullest and find ways to make the Club a better place for all!
Their story is just one of the more than 2,500 children that walk through the Boys & Girls Club doors every year.
About the Boys & Girls Club
The mission of the Boys & Girls Club of Springfield is to provide programs that guide and direct youth from all backgrounds with special concern for those from at-risk circumstances. Through social, physical and educational development activities, the Boys & Girls Club of Springfield teaches youth the values of life, strengthens their self-esteem and makes them better citizens of our community.
The organization’s Executive Director, Pat Gartland, says it best: “People new to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Springfield are pleasantly surprised by the variety of opportunities and quality of programs offered at such a value – we are impacting young lives to promote great futures every day!”
Offering individual and group activities, programs are based on principles of behavioral guidance and targeted to achieve social, health, educational, vocational, character and leadership development. Opportunities offered include: leadership; education; music; technology; community service; special events; fitness including swimming, basketball, baseball, tennis, golf and dance; field trips; counseling; mentoring; job training and many others, including applying for college scholarships through the clubs. These opportunities offer young people much more than just a safe place to be year-round when school is not in session.
The Boys & Girls Club of Springfield serves youth ages 6 to 17 and has a diversity of youth from all over the surrounding communities. It currently operates four Clubs in the Springfield area equipped with a gym, cafeteria, library, education center, music, art and technology centers and much more. The Units are open Monday through Friday during the school year and in the summer. Call 417-862-9249.
WAYS TO HELP THE PCCC
CORPORATE SKYBOXES on the 9th and 18th greens, and tents on the 18th fairway
These include covered seating and all-inclusive badges into the Jackson Brothers of the South VIP Tent (food and beverages).
PRO-AMS: Play with a pro & enjoy top courses such as Highland Springs, Buffalo Ridge Golf Course, LedgeStone Country Club, Millwood Golf & Racquet Club & Fremont Hills Country Club. Includes a great golfer gift package, continental breakfast, lunch, on-course beverages, team photos & trophies. Check out our list of golf experiences
ON-COURSE SPONSORSHIPS
Bleachers, water coolers and much more can help generate interest in your business, and will go a long way toward helping kids in the Ozarks. See our full menu of options.
HONORING OUR HEROES PROGRAM
A great way to support military, law enforcement and first responders as well Ozarks children’s charities — as they receive free admission as well as food and drinks thanks to your sponsorships. Follow this link
$25 TLC PROPERTIES SWEEPSTAKES TICKETS
They are only $25 each, and gives the ticket-buyer a chance to win a 2017 Ford F-150, or $10,000, plus daily prizes during the tournament. Check out the details here.
GOLF BALL & CHARITY AUCTION
Sponsored by Copy Products Inc. and University Plaza, this event is on Tuesday, August 8 at University Plaza Convention Center. We’ll also have electronic bidding at bidpal.net! Register at this link.
THE ULTIMATE presented by Custom Metalcraft & Ridewell Suspensions
Win a 2017 Corvette Stingray, as a $1,200 buy-in guarantees a 1-in-100 chance of winning the car and a 1-in-10 chance of winning $1,000. You’ll also receive many other perks, including air-conditioned seating on the 18th green during the PCCC along with clubhouse parking, a luxurious dinner on Friday, August 4 at Highland Springs Country Club as well as breakfast and lunch in the clubhouse daily during the PCCC, plus his and her shirts.
FOR ANY SPONSORSHIP, CALL 417-887-3400