Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern Nevada are Back to School and Back to Gardening
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern Nevada (BGCSNV) are growing their Bright Futures Farm and Gardens program to its third location at the John C. Kish Clubhouse.
Together with participating partners Barclaycard US, Garden Farms and Green Our Planet, BGCSNV will hold a Grand Opening of the garden at 4:00pm on Thursday September 3, 2015.
The Boys & Girls Clubs will celebrate the debut of their third teaching garden program with the children’s first planting. Thanks to generous partners, including a $15,000 donation by Barclaycard US, BGCSNV will impact approximately 400 youth at the John C. Kish Clubhouse through this garden program set to teach healthy lifestyles, financial literacy, and entrepreneurship skills to underserved youth in the area. This program will educate Club members and their families about healthy nutrition, how to grow vegetables and incorporate critical financial literacy and entrepreneurship skills.
“We are proud to be part of this incredible opportunity to impact the lives of Clubhouse members in the area and our community as a whole,” says BCUS Employee Communications and Programs Manager DeAndre Esteen. “The skills these young people will develop will benefit them in their homes, classrooms and in everyday life decisions.”
Once the garden is ready for harvest, future plans include a farmer’s market operated by the kids, featuring Club grown fruits, vegetables and flowers along with kid’s art. The Boys & Girls Club’s garden and farmer’s market booths from other Clubhouse gardens have seen rapid success locally, with the children selling their fresh grown produce and using the funds raised to maintain and grow their gardens.
The garden programming is poised to address critical areas, from combating childhood obesity to financial literacy and life skills, taught in a comprehensive approach. “Studies have shown that hands-on environmental education improves both test scores and nutrition. Thanks to Barclaycard’s time and resources, we are excited to introduce our third of many more future teaching gardens at Boys & Girls Club locations”, says BGCSNV COO Steve Davidson.
Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern Nevada is a nonprofit organization that operates 14 facilities and three summer outreach programs in Southern Nevada, and serves more than 21,000 youth in Las Vegas, North Las Vegas, Henderson, Southern Highlands and Summerlin. These Clubhouses offer children ages K-12th grade a variety of daily creative, fun and educational programs. Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern Nevada works to enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens. Keep up with BGC events and news on Facebook and Twitter. For more information visit www.bgcsnv.org or call 702-367-2582