Daleville Boys and Girls Club moves towards reality

An after school program for elementary school children in Daleville is what Joel Adams is striving to make a reality.

He is among those working with the Eufaula Boys and Girls Club to bring a Boys and Girls Club to Daleville. Others on the steering committee are April Spencer, Misty Wofford, Daleville City Schools Superintendent Dr. Lisa Stamps and Daleville City Clerk Angelia Filmore.

“As of right now, our kids have nowhere to go after school,” Adams said. “The existing program shut down in August of last year.

“As a concerned parent I know that we’ve got a community full of latch-key kids,” Adams said. “A lot of us don’t work in Daleville but this is a family community. We like to come home in the afternoon and have our kids be here.”

Boys and Girls Clubs of America is a national organization comprised of local chapters that provide after-school programs for young people. It’s more than a daycare, Adams said. “It’s a structured academic program.

“I spoke to the Daleville City Council and tried to get them to reinstate the previous after school program and I was told to come back with a viable option,” Adams said. “That’s when I started researching about Boys and Girls Clubs.”

After contacting the national office, Adams contacted the 300-member Eufaula Boys and Girls Club program. He said that he and Stamps visited the Eufaula program directors. “They agreed to sponsor us and here we are,” he said about the club he hopes to open by June.

“It’s a two step process,” he explained. “The first thing we had to do was secure a facility.”

The city authorized Adams to use the old Scout building on Donnell Boulevard in Daleville for the proposed Boys and Girls Club. The next step is to raise $20,000.

The fundraising effort kicked off with a Spaghetti Dinner held at the Scout hut Feb. 7. A second fundraiser is a Magic Show Saturday, Feb. 22, at the Daleville Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 6020 on Highway 84 in Daleville. The $8 tickets will be sold at the door and children age five and under are admitted free with an adult ticket holder. Adams can be contacted at (334) 494-5182 for more information.

“We have determined that there is a significant need for our community to have an after school care for our kindergarten through sixth grade students that includes assistance with homework,” Adams explained. “A needs assessment was done through the schools and identified 109 children so we’re figuring on serving between 80 to 100 kids the first year.

“After the $20,000 is raised, we have to come up with a first-year business plan,” Adams said. The staff will include one full time director and part time personnel based on the number of club members.

There is a lot of work to be done on the former Scout hut and Adams said he will be seeking volunteers for a community work day. “I’m in uncharted waters. This is my first time ever knocking on so many doors asking for help.

“As we attempt to get our club started, we are writing grants and seeking financial support from our community, businesses and interested citizens,” Adams said. Those interested in making a donation towards the start-up cost are asked to contact Filmore at the Daleville City Hall.

“I’m very excited to see this program coming to Daleville because I believe it will provide our children with more opportunity than they have seen in a long time,” Adams said. “It’s more than a day care, it’s a structured environment and Boys and Girls Clubs are a well established foundation that have been around since the 1980s.

“Something that I have attempted to do with this endeavor from the beginning is to get everybody in all aspects of the city involved,” he said. “I want us all to work together because ultimately this is about our children