Scott Williams, swilliams@wolfrivermedia.com
Leader Photo by Scott Williams Balloon artist Richard Varga, right, entertains kids with his inflated creations Tuesday during the Boys & Girls Club of Shawano grand opening at Olga Brener Intermediate School in Shawano.
Leader Photo by Scott Williams Tristan Lawe, 7, takes his turn at a golfing game Tuesday inside the gym at Olga Brener Intermediate School in Shawano during the grand opening of the Boys & Girls Club of Shawano.
The new Boys & Girls Club of Shawano is off to a strong start and is already drawing praise from families in the area.
Since opening its doors in January, the club has attracted 15 members for after-school activities and services at Olga Brener Intermediate School in Shawano.
The club is open to third-, fourth- and fifth-graders and is designed to give children structured after-school supervision rather than leaving them bored or frustrated.
Organizers held a ribbon-cutting and grand opening ceremony Tuesday to celebrate the successful launch of an important new community service that took three years of study and planning.
“We’re very proud of this,” co-chairman Wendy Crawford told parents and others at the ceremony.
With room available for many more children to join the Boys & Girls Club, the celebration at Olga Brener was also intended to reach other families who might want to consider it as an alternative for their children.
Danielle Coffey, a parent who brought her kids to look around, said her second-grade son spends too much time being unproductive in a computer lab after school. Coffey said she will consider enrolling her son in the Boys & Girls Club when he reaches third grade next year.
“I’m definitely looking forward to having this option for him,” she said.
A group called Leadership Shawano County in 2014 conducted a needs assessment on after-school options for local children. That was followed by a study on creating a local Boys & Girls Club, with assistance from the Shawano School District, the city of Shawano and others.
The effort culminated in last summer’s announcement that the Boys & Girls Club of Green Bay was getting behind Shawano’s new group with administrative and organizational support.
After a fundraising drive to gather needed financing, the club opened its doors in January, offering parents the chance to enroll their kids for just $10 for an entire school year. The club meets every school day in the Olga Brener gym for physical fitness, arts and crafts, homework and other activities.
Pat and Jodi Anderson enrolled their fourth-grade daughter, Olivia, because she had outgrown after-school day care and because she heard that some friends were trying the new club. The family has been pleased with the results, as Olivia enjoys spending time with kids her own age.
“I think it’s a very positive thing,” Jodi Anderson said. “I hope to see more kids join.”
Since the club got started with six kids initially, membership has grown to 15.
Club director Kimberly Lodewegen said she hopes to reach 30 kids before this school year ends, and possibly enroll as many as 50 next school year.
Lodewegen said she is working to promote awareness of the club and also to dispel misconceptions about the audience it is intended to serve. She said the club is a positive outlet for any third- through fifth-grader who needs supervised after-school supervision and companionship.
“This is for everybody — all of these kids,” she said.