As an ongoing part of our community outreach, Client Services, Inc. (CSI) is once again a participating sponsor for the Boys and Girls Clubs of St. Charles County. The need for the Boys & Girls Clubs of St. Charles County continues to grow as more youth make use of their services and assistance. The Clubs’ mission is to inspire young people to realize their full potential as productive, responsible and caring citizens by providing a place where they are encouraged to stay in school, offered help in completing their homework for the day and being prepared for school the next day. The Clubs also provide a safe environment where these young people can meet with friends, make new friends, and participate in sports and activities according to their ability or desire.
How significant are the Boys and Girls Clubs to the youth who attend these programs? For many young people, after they leave school for the day, the Boys and Girls Clubs are literally their home away from home as they arrive straight from school and stay until close. In fact, if it were not for these Clubs, many of these children would go home to an empty house and have nothing to eat until they receive breakfast at school the next day.
Responding to this reality, the Boys and Girls Clubs provide each child a nutritious meal before they leave for home each night. In the 2014/2015 school year, the Clubs’ After School Program served 18,578 meals and snacks to these young people. During the 2015/2016 school year, the After School Program in St. Charles County served 29,642 meals and snacks. This represents more than a 60% increase from one school year to the next! The increase in the number of meals served to these youth provides just one real world example of the importance of the work done by the Boys and Girls Clubs of St. Charles County, and why CSI is proud to once again sponsor their efforts.