CAMPBELL COUNTY, Tenn. — Campbell County is getting its first-ever boys and girls club. The Dewey Hunter Community Center in LaFollette is the future site of the new location.
"We're evaluating that building now. That building is great. It's in a great location. It's got great parking," said Bill Jones, the Campbell County General Sessions and Juvenile Court judge.
Jones played an integral part in getting a boys and girls club for the area. He said he saw a high need for something like this in the county.
"I just seen the need of Children that a lot of them don't have anywhere to go after school or as parents who are working and struggle with child care. I also knew of people, just friends of mine and the people who work around here and work in the courthouse who have children that struggle with childcare and were taking their Children to Anderson County to the boys and girls club there. So I just knew that the need here was great," said Jones.
And the lack of after-school programming is not a problem just for Campbell County, it's across the entire state.
"Right now in Tennessee, for every kid that's enrolled in an after-school program, there are three that would enroll but don't have access to an affordable one. We're really seeking to do that," said Bart McFadden, the president and CEO of the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Tennessee Valley.
McFadden said the lack of care affects low-income families the most.
"Over 80% of families say a good, affordable after-school program helps them work more hours or even take a job that they might not have been able to take otherwise. So it's really an economic development driver," said McFadden.
He also said the state is helping expand access to boys and girls clubs.
"Boys and Girls Clubs in Tennessee have partnered with the State of Tennessee to expand services to specifically low-income families. And it's resulted in over 8,000 more kids in Tennessee having a boys and girls club that they can go to every day. We've made a significant leap in terms of meeting the statewide need," said McFadden.
He said this program would serve more than 70 kids a day.
"That would be a program that would serve about 75 to 80 kids a day in a high-need part of that county, and really give us a foothold to begin maybe growing long term," said McFadden.
The projected date for this Boys and Girls Club facility to be opened is in 2025. McFadden said that's all dependent on fundraising.
"The timing of that's really going to be dependent on how quickly the dollars are raised at the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Tennessee Valley. We seek to have two years of operating support committed upfront so that we know that that club that gives us the runway. We need to bring in other dollars so that we don't have to open a club and then not have the dollars to sustain it and then have to close it, that's one of the most painful things an organization can do to kids."
And Jones agrees. He said real work is starting now that the county has made an announcement that a club is coming to the area.
"We have a lot to do between now and the day we cut ribbon and, and have our first kids in there and we'll be looking for all the support that we can get. We have a website set up where they can make donations through the Boys and Girls Club. And we have events that we need people to attend and to donate money. If anybody wants to donate time or anything, this is a time for our community to come together and do something big that can make a huge impact on the lives of the children here," said Jones.
McFadden said if any communities in east Tennessee are interested in bringing a Boys and Girls Club to their area, they should reach out to the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Tennessee Valley. He said they would love to speak to those people and lay out the process, but there is also the need for community support for a club.