Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston wrote -

GREAT FUTURES START HERE.
The South Boston Boys & Girls Club Marathon Team will support the Southie Club’s proven and critical youth development programs. The “Club” has been serving the community on the corner of West 6th and F Streets since 1940.

Training for a marathon for months, then running 26.2 miles, is a difficult and daunting challenge.

Being a kid these days is difficult.

Being a teen in an urban setting is daunting.

Being a young person in the city, making positive choices in a negative environment, is a challenge.

So we run for them.

The South Boston Club serves over 900 diverse youth ages 6-18 on a regular basis, with 220-250 attending daily. 84% of our kids are very-low or low-income (66% very-low, 18% low). 32% of our kids are from families with less than $13,000 annual household income. Only 37% of our members live with both parents. We focus on enhancing the positive self-identity and skill development of our kids and teens.

IT WORKS
The Boys & Girls Clubs of America recently completed a Three-Year Longitudinal Study that demonstrates the very real impact Clubs have on the kids who need us. This study was professionally administered and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston was a key participant so we can firmly say these results strike close to home. The study found that kids and teens who attend Boys & Girls Clubs experience increased Academic Confidence, School Effort, Future Plans (connection to future), and Knowledge of Right vs. Wrong. They also experienced decreased Skipping of School, Associating with Negative Peers, Aggressive Behavior, Early Pregnancies, and Contact with Weapons, Alcohol, Smoking, or Drugs.

Youth that participated regularly in our Summer Camp programs were evaluated using the SAYO Evaluation System developed by the Massachusetts Department of Education. 94% of these youth were assessed as being better prepared for school.

     Running a marathon is no easy feat.
        Being a kid in urban Boston is not easy.
          So we run for them.

Make an offline donation by sending a check to South Boston Boys & Girls Clubs, 230 West 6th Street, South Boston, MA 02127. Please note "Marathon" and the runner's name in the memo line.

Questions/Comments? !
Harry Duvall
hduvall@bgcb.org
617.516.5441