I’ve heard rumblings about the Boys and Girls Club role in the community for quite some time, so I wasn’t surprised to see this email sent to many in the community. It’s something to think about.
June 25, 2010
To all people of concern and interest:
My name is Robert Artis, I would like to voice my personal opinion and the residents of the Allied Community; the main concern is with the Allied Boys and Girls Club Family Center. For some period of time leaders in the Allied Community have been trying to reach an understanding with the Boys and Girls Club so that it can serve the community in a better capacity. So far this has not been done, now the club is under new leadership and has taken a new direction. From my stand point this new direction is not taking the community it serves into consideration. I must mention for all of those people of concern that this is a challenged community. The direction of the new C.E.O. is going to exclude many of the resident’s children that it serves. These residents have attended the club for some period of time. As a non-profit the administration should use other means of raised funds to support its staff and facility other than the residents it serves. This is a challenged community and it should not have to take on this entire burden. Other avenues should be explored every child should have the right to attend the Boys and Girls Club without having to wonder if she or he will hurt their family financially. This is not expectable. When a parent answers their child’s question “why can’t I attend the Boys and Girls Club?” The answer the parent has to give to their child is we can no longer afford it because they had to increase the amount and it is now out of our reach. When the child says “but I have been going there for years,” the answer remains the same we can’t afford it. So my question is, “what are we doing for our community to improve it, as it is related to the Boys and Girls Club and the Allied Community.”
Sincerely,
Robert Artis
