Boys & Girls Club is a safe and positive place for youth

Pictured: Members of the Boys & Girls Club and a counselor are pictured at a recent Christmas party.

Are you looking for a place for your children to go after school that is fun, positive, and safe? The Boys & Girls Club, which meets after each school day at Mary N. Smith in Accomac, might just be your answer.

Club members, who range from the ages of 5 to 18, are provided a nutritious meal, academic programs, physical activities, and important life lessons that lead to making good choices in today’s world.

But what is maybe even more important, the youth feel better about themselves after attending the club.

Here are some comments from Eastern Shore club members when recently asked how they feel when they walk into the Boys & Girls Club.

“I feel like I am a part of something good, and I do not feel bad. Sometimes, I feel like I am something, not nothing. When I am in the club, I am ready for fun,” said Justin, age 9.

Fernando, 10, said, “I feel happy because I have friends. The staff are great people because they greet me every day.”

Ten-year-old Amya said, “Boys & Girls has changed me into an amazing person. Boys & Girls Club made me believe in myself when nobody else did.”

“I feel happy, nice, kind, and excited about playing with my friends and seeing the staff,” said Chimaya, 7.

“I feel helpful, active, and very, very kind in many different ways,” said Zachary, 10.

Paris, 12, said, “When I walk into the Boys & Girls Club, I feel excited. I like seeing my friends at the club, and the staff helps make the club fun by doing fun activities like playing games in the game room or in the gym.”

Asked what lesson he had learned from his time in the Boys & Girls Club, Drew, 7, said, “Stop being mean. If I didn’t come, I would still be mean.”

Sixteen-year-old Sequoia said she wants everyone to know about the Boys & Girls Club. “I think it’s a great opportunity for teens to join so they can stay out of trouble.”

Toniya, 12, said, “I want the world to know that Boys and Girls Club is like another family, and they stay with you the whole way.”

The staff at the Boys & Girls Club is key to setting the atmosphere for positivity, accountability, and fun.

Adrian, 10, said, “Ms. Kanesha is nice to me. She lets me do anything I want as long as it is safe and positive.”

Freddie, age 17, said, “My unit director, Ms. Kathy, she helped me through the death of my dad. Another person who has helped me was Latrell. He helped me gain a smile even when I didn’t want to laugh or smile at all.”

Destiny Carrington was underachieving with below average grades before her experience at the Boys & Girls Club gave her the confidence and the motivation to become an A student who entered Longwood University last fall with plans to become either a nurse practitioner or a physician assistant. Along the way, she was named the 2022 Southeast Virginia Youth of the Year for the Boys & Girls Club, wowing an audience of 400 with her poise and speaking ability at the Youth of the Year Banquet in Norfolk.

Carrington said she knew she could have made better grades earlier on in her academic career, but it wasn’t until her mentors at the Boys & Girls Club showed her the importance of education and gave her the confidence to fully achieve her potential that she applied herself in the classroom.”The Boys and Girls Club changed my life completely,” said Carrington.

Carrington is just one of many success stories at the Boys & Girls Club. She, like other club members, has flourished because of the Boys & Girls Club mission “to enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens.”

There is a one-time membership fee and weekly attendance fees to become a member, but scholarships are available, and club leaders do not want costs to prohibit a family from having their child attend the Boys & Girls Club.

To register or for more information, contact Boys & Girls Club director Kathy Custis at 757-709-3038 or email [email protected]

To make a financial contribution to the club, send a check payable to the Boys & Girls Club of the Eastern Shore to P.O. Box 101, Melfa, VA 23410.