The Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Gaston is a youth development organization for ages 6 to 18, which includes three units: Bessemer City Club, Bradley Teen Center, and the West Gastonia Club. In every community, youth are left to find their own recreation and companionship in the streets. An increasing number of children are at home with no adult care or supervision. They need to know that someone cares about them. Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Gaston offers that and more.
Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Gaston programs and services promote and enhance the development of youth by instilling a sense of competence, usefulness, belonging, and influence. We serve over 1,300 youth each year through valuable afterschool, summer and outreach programs.
Our five core program areas are:
• Character & Leadership Development
• Education & Career Development
• Health & Life Skills
• Sports, Fitness & Recreation
• The Arts
Facts and Figures
Only 78% of students in Gaston County will graduate on time. Out of the hundreds of B&G Club members that have participated in “Power Hour”, we have had only 1 who did not graduate on time.
For every 1,000 girls ages 15-19 in Gaston County, 48 will become pregnant. Over 400 B&G Club girls have participated in “SMART Girls” and “SMART Moves” and 0 pregnancies have occurred.
There are 1,100 gang members in Gaston County and 140 different gang sets. Over 500 B&G Club youth have participated in “Street Smart” and 99% have not been involved with gangs or juvenile crime.
58% of students in Gaston County receive free lunch and 54% receive reduced lunch. B&G Club feeds all members every night, which totals about 56,500 meals throughout the school year.
It costs B&G Club $2,700/yr. for each child to cover the cost of materials, programming, and food. Parents only pay $265 for their child’s membership at B&G Club, where they learn character and leadership skills, education and career development, health and life skills, sports and fitness, and the arts.
Grant Sparks, Director of Counseling and Media Services
Gaston County Schools
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