The Boys and Girls Clubs of Lebanon and Sweet Home are making progress toward their impending unification, club officials say.
Since mid-April, when the two clubs announced their intent to unify, a committee has been created to work on plans and deal with problems associated with the merger.
The respective clubs’ boards of directors have decided the following:
The name of each club will remain the same: Boys & Girls Club of Sweet Home and Boys & Girls Club of Lebanon. The corporate name for the two clubs will be Boys & Girls Clubs of the Greater Santiam. According to officials, the choice represents directors’ decision to choose a name that represented the area the clubs serve, as well as a distinct geographical landmark.
The unified clubs will have a new slate of officers, to oversee the Board of Directors.
The recommended officers are: Ron Moore, president; Tre Kennedy, vice president; Eric Kirby, past president; Lori Hill, treasurer; and trustees Wayne Rieskamp, Wendi Melcher, Doug Phillips and Donavan Willems.
The two existing boards will become one, keeping all of the current board members. This will create one large Board of Directors to oversee the clubs in both communities. “By combining the existing Boards, we are creating a strong, single-focused governing board to empower the clubs.” Moore said. “We can begin to work together in making our existing programs better and more consistent, and offer more variety to serve more youth.”
The Board of Directors has made its top priority to increase the quality of the current programs, vary the programs offered to attract new members, and increase the efficiencies of the organization.
The club’s Golf Tournament on Aug. 14 will be its first combined event. The tournament starts with a shot-gun start at 1 p.m. at Mallard Creek. Golfers and sponsors are needed. For more information on the tournament, call the Sweet Home branch at 367-6421. Proceeds from the event will be used to provide athletic scholarships for fall sports. The clubs never turn any child away for inability to pay.
“These kids deserve to have the very best programs and more opportunities to get involved and our communities can make that happen,” board member Wendi Melcher said. “If the community trusts us and supports us we can make it happen, making the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Greater Santiam one of the best in the Pacific Northwest.”
The Clubs are located at 890 18th Avenue in Sweet Home and 305 South 5th Street in Lebanon. For more information, contact The Boys & Girls Club of Sweet Home at 367-6421.