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Paulding County Boys and Girls Club fighting to stay open

Without $200,000 and a new building by Oct. 1, the club faces permanent closure, taking away a safe space for kids to learn, grow and gain confidence.

PAULDING COUNTY, Ga. — A place for children and teens could soon be no more.

That's if the Paulding County Boys and Girls Club doesn't raise $200,000 by the end of this month. They also need to find a new building to help accommodate and serve more young people.

The situation has sparked a lot of concern in the Paulding County community and among students who have found a second home at the club.

Without $200,000 and a new building by Oct. 1, the club faces permanent closure, and won’t be able to keep its door open into 2021.

Students like seventh-grader Zoie Taylor said that can't happen.

"That's like my home," she said. "That's like my second home."

She said the club offers a safe space for kids to learn, grow and gain confidence.

“It's an after school program that helps young people become leaders and future leaders -- to get out of their situation if it's bad, help encourage them to be the best selves," she said.

For 22 years, the Paulding County Boys and Girls Club has worked to impact the lives of children ages 6 to 18 after school and during breaks. Right now, they serve about 180 young people.

According to the club, 74 percent of their students receive free or reduced lunch; and 79 percent live in a single-parent household. Club leaders say that while those numbers don't define their children, they do show the need.

Selena Jackson-Guines, Board Vice President for the Paulding County club, said the closure could have a domino effect with no similar programs available for young people.

During the pandemic, several club locations across the metro have reopened with a reduced capacity to safely serve students. The Boys and Girls Club of Metro Atlanta said they have worked to prioritize the members in need of services most.

The Boys and Girls Club of Metro Atlanta said the organization, as a whole, is anticipating a tough financial landscape in 2021. They’re already seeing dips and funding and giving.

That’s why members and supporters of the Paulding County Boys and Girls Club said fighting to keep their doors open right now is so important.

"The first thing that came to my mind personally was the kids. 'Ok, what happens now?' Because we have been their support, we've been there safe-haven, the tools to do all the things that they want do, and when you remove that, imagine all the other kids that are coming behind them that won't have the club as support," Jackson-Guines said.

“Help us, because the club is not a building. It is something that is much more than that. It is a place where kids hang out, be themselves. Sometimes the only place where kids feel like they're wanted or needed."

Jackson-Guines said the club has raised about $50,000 so far, about a quarter of what they need. You can donate to help save the club on their GoFundMe page.

    

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