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Sarnia-Lambton’s BGC Club – formerly the Boys and Girls Club – is planning a June 3 party for its kids and the community.
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The local club that’s provided programs for four- to 18-year-olds since 1971 is participating in BGC Club Day, an awareness day for BGC Canada, said the Sarnia-Lambton club’s Jaylene Henry.
Plans are to bring in motorcycles via the 999th Legion for Child Rights volunteer motorcycle group she’s a part of, she said.
The Let’s Face It mental health group at Lambton College is also coming in to run an activity on the mental health-themed day, she added.
The BGC Sarnia-Lambton associate director said she’s now looking for sponsors to help bring in a tent, a dunk tank and therapy dogs, and hopes are she’ll be able to entice a food truck to locate on site for the 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. event.
People are welcome to come by day of and check out the club at the Lochiel Kiwanis Community Centre, she said. Sarnia City Hall is also lighting up in BGC-green for the day.
“Just come out that day and see what we’re all about,” she said.
Expectations are for 30 to 40 club kids to attend, she said, “so we’re hoping it’s going to be a big, huge wonderful day.”
Enrolment in the United Way-funded local club’s programs has been down amid the COVID-19 pandemic, she said, but volunteers hope for a rebound as a drop-in program, paused in March 202,0 makes its return.
Wednesday and Thursday evening art and STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) programs recently started up, and plans are to return to drop-in programs five days a week by September, Henry said. She hopes that helps bring back the 13- to 18-year-old cohort that’s been noticeably absent from club programs for several years.
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Virtual cooking and science programs have been a stand-in since 2020 and hopes are to continue those as well, provided the organization can get enough funding, Henry added.
“We would never have the kitchen space … with 10 kids in the kitchen all cooking something at the same time,” she said.
An after-school program has continued running five days a week, she said, noting it’s the only program for which there’s a $30 fee but subsidies are available.
“We never want cost to be a barrier for any of our families,” she said.
About 50 to 60 kids are enrolled across all programs, she said.
The club has limited funding, she said. Specifics weren’t immediately available.
Anyone interested in helping with BGC Club Day is asked to contact Henry at 519-466-0559 or jhenry@bgcsarnia.com.
