Boys & Girls Clubs Provide Safe After-School Care
CBS4's Care 4 Colorado Toy Collection is Thursday, December 15, from 4:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the King Soopers at Colorado and Yale. The toys go to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver. CBS4, KBCO, and KOA staff members will be on hand all day to collect toy donations.
By Libby Smith
DENVER (CBS4) - The Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver charge just $2 a year for membership and provide a safe place for kids to go after school. They can get homework help, a hot meal, and a wide variety of programming.
7-year-old Amari goes to the Vickers Club every day. She takes a bus over from her school. One of the things she loves most about going to the club is reading with "Grandpa Percy" who volunteers in the education room.
LINK: Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver
"If you read five books, and get five 100s, then you get a prize," Amari said of the read comprehension tests.
Amari's mother works and goes to school. She's often not available until well into the evening.
"I actually started an unpaid internship, so this has sort of been our second home," Ashley said of the Vickers Club.
As a single mother, Ashley relies on the club. She knows that Amari will be safe and well cared for there.
"The big thing about this is that I feel like the people who work here really want to be here, and so they make a huge difference," Ashley said.
She also sees the difference the club makes in her daughter.
"I think the level of acceptance here and the sense of community and the cohesion with the kids, I've noticed, has really helped her build her self-esteem," Ashley told CBS4.
Libby Smith is a Special Projects Producer at CBS4. If you have a story you'd like to tell CBS4 about, call 303-863-TIPS (8477) or visit the News Tips section.