Orrville Area United Way is proud to partner with the Orrville Area Boys & Girls Club. The mission of OABGC is “to support, enable, and develop youth and teens to reach their full potential”. OAUW supports three OABGC programs – KidStop Programming, Physical Education & Leagues, and the Teen Center. These programs contribute to OAUW’s impact area of Nurturing Children and Youth.
As of July 2022, KidStop had served 353 youth in grades K-6. KidStop engages youth with programs that strengthen confidence, build leaderships skills, promote health and wellness, encourage kind peer relations, and develop character. KidStop strives to create a safe, positive, and inclusive environment. Over the past few years, OABGC noticed more mental health and behavioral concerns among their members. As a result, OABGC has intentionally focused on trauma-Informed programming, and a recent survey reported that 98% of students report feeling emotionally safe at OABGC.
Physical Education & Leagues is projected to serve 670 persons in grades K-12 in the Orrville, Dalton, & Marshallville area in 2022. The goal of OABGC’s Physical Education and League programs are to help members and kids in the community be active and keep a healthy lifestyle, and to introduce youth to new sports and games that they may not typically be able to access. OABGC’s Triple Play programs, which all members participate in, have Mind, Body, and Soul components. OABGC offers youth leagues in ten different sports. Through these sports & leagues, OABGC promotes core values like discipline, teamwork, communication, and good behavior.
Recognizing the need in our area, OABGC has poured into reimagining their Teen Center. Previously, OABGC was serving 5-8 middle school students, and after relaunch, the program is serving around 40 members per day with special teen events hosting as many as 152 students! The Teen Center is a safe place for teens to hangout while providing quality programming focused in the areas of trauma-informed care, academic recovery, drug prevention and workforce readiness. The Teen Center encourages advocacy and youth voice through programs like Torch Club where teen members help plan events, guide programming, raise funds, and volunteer to serve in the Club and out in the community.
OABGC has been an integral part of our community for over fifty years. Your generous Orrville Area United Way donations directly impact lives and homes in our area!
To learn more about the OABGC be sure to check out their display in our window the rest of this month!