State Representative Drew Darby was pleasantly surprised by the Boys and Girls Club Thursday afternoon, when he received the Outstanding Service award.
“Harry told me to come down, that they had something for me, but I wasn’t expecting this,” said Darby while holding up the award. “This award is a really tangible example of how we work together.”
Darby stated that he believes in the Boys and Girls club because he knows they have genuine results and he never has issues giving them money. “It’s been from the heart; this is what makes me get up in the morning to do what I do,” Darby said.
After Darby spoke, a work of art, made by Noah Sanchez, was presented to the representative. Darby was delighted and made sure all his photos with the children had the artwork included.
“This piece of artwork is going into the Capitol Building in Austin,” Darby said proudly. “When you come to visit your representative in Austin, this will be there.”
Darby says the reason he is so supportive of the Boys and Girls Club is the success rates they have shown over the years.
Harry Thomas, Chief Volunteer and Board President, gave statistics that proved the value of the club. According to Thomas, the club has a 91 percent graduation rate in the Concho Valley, versus the general graduation rates that fall between 70 and 80 percent. In addition, the San Angelo Boys and Girls Club baosts that 100 percent of their participants stay out of the criminal justice system.
Thomas explained that the purpose of Boys and Girls Club is to provide a place after school for kids to go.
“The hours for gang recruitment are between 3:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.,” he said. “If you have a youngster coming home to an empty house, if they are there by themselves without anywhere to go, they will find opportunity to meet somebody.”
According to Thomas, the gang leaders are natural leaders and therefore very persuasive. However, if the kids are busy after school until 6:00 p.m., gang recruitment efforts fall short.
“What we try to do is bring them to a safe place, help them with their homework,” Thomas said. “Even if they finish their homework we have them do educational activities, and when they get older we even assist them with things like apartment and job hunting, as well as college applications.”
One thing that both men made sure to emphasize was that spending money on education and organizations like Boys and Girls Club was an investment rather than an expense.
“Every dollar you spend on these kids now saves $7 on the back side,” Thomas explained, using the criminal justice system as an example. Kids that do not grow up to be criminals, that strive for a future, not only avoid costing the state money while in jail, but instead become tax payers and property owners.
For more information about the Boys and Girls Club, or to support them, visit www.bgcasa.net or call (325) 655-8343
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