Audrey Gomez
The Sweet Home branch of the Boys & Girls Club of the Greater Santiam will offer a “modified model” of its current programs for the 2015-16 school year.
The Board of Directors met June 23 to discuss the future of the Sweet Home Branch as the month of June closes with the Sweet Home branch still $23,000 short of the $120,000 goal the club set earlier this year.
“I am proud of our board members and their willingness to express their concerns, talk through the difficult matters and at all times keep our mission in mind,” said Kris Latimer, executive director.
The plan is to maintain grant-funded programs in the current building. Those programs include “Great by 8th” and Elementary Referral. The Youth Service Team will determine participation for the grant-funded elementary school program, Latimer said.
There would be no cost to families for participation in these programs because the grants were designed to cover these costs, Latimer said.
The club will establish a fee for an after-school program for elementary students and middle school students in the “Great by 8th” program. The purpose of the fee is to cover all related expenses including building expenses. This program will be three or four days a week, Latimer said.
In addition to the after-school programs, the Sweet Home Boys & Girls Club will continue to provide athletics with the expectation that athletics are fully funded through fees, sponsorships and fund-raising, including overhead and indirect costs, Latimer said.
“At this time I can’t answer any questions about fee structures,” Latimer said. “But I am hopeful that I will have an idea about those by mid-July.”
Latimer said the position vacated when Dave Bauer resigned as director of the Sweet Home branch last month will remain vacant.
“Those responsibilities will be spread across a variety of staff, including Cassie Cruze and myself,” she said.