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| Community Budget Issue Requests - Tracking Id #2563 |
| Florida Alliance of Boys & Girls Clubs - After School Care - Gang Prevention |
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| Requester: |
Daniel Lyons |
Organization: |
Florida Alliance of Boys & Girls Clubs |
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| Project Title: |
Florida Alliance of Boys & Girls Clubs - After School Care - Gang Prevention |
Date Submitted |
1/4/2008 2:26:11 PM |
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| Sponsors: |
Siplin |
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| Statewide Interest: |
| On behalf of Boys & Girls Clubs across the State of Florida, the Florida Alliance of Boys & Girls Clubs respectfully requests a grant of $1 million to assist in developing a program that will keep kids off the streets and in a safe environment. When the school bell rings at 3:00, thousands of children head home ever day to an empty house. An estimated 50% of our children over age 12 are unsupervised after school. In low income families, even children as young as six and seven years old are home without adult supervision in alarming numbers. There is a critical shortage of after school programs in our communities. Many of the programs that do exist are out of reach for a large percentage of our population due to cost and transportation issues. Left on their own for long hours, our children face decisions about risky behaviors without the benefit of adult guidance. This is especially alarming in today�s world where drug abuse, violence, and casual attitudes about sex are glorified on television and prominent on the streets. During the after school hours of 3:00 to 7:00 PM, the incidence of juvenile crime triples. The number of juvenile victims of crime skyrockets. Additionally, more babies are conceived of teen parents during these hours than any other time.
Hundreds of thousands of children throughout the State of Florida, especially those living in economically disadvantaged circumstances, are without adult supervision during the critical aforementioned hours. These children are five times more likely to be convicted of a crime, and are half as likely to pursue post-secondary education compated to their peers who have daily access to quality after-school programming. Boys & Girls Clubs target the thousands of children most likely to fall behind academically and those at risk for being lost to drug use, alcohol abuse, and teen pregnancy.
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| Recipient: |
Florida Alliance of Boys & Girls Clubs |
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Contact: |
Daniel Lyons |
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3100 Fruitville Road |
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Contact Phone: |
(772) 263-2723 |
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Sarasota 34237 |
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Contact email: |
dlyons2001@msn.com |
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| Counties: |
{Statewide} |
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| Gov't Entity: |
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Private Organization (Profit/Not for Profit): |
Yes |
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| Project Description: |
| Florida Alliance organizations will provide interesting and challenging programs in an environment that will be safe, welcoming and fun for children ages 6 to 18. Our program will be available to member year-round and will be open 5 or more days per week, giving children a safe haven while parents work. Club membership fees will be kept affordable for all families and no child will ever be turned away due to the families inability to pay. Club program activities will cover a wide range of interests and will be presented to appeal to all ages. The majority of the children who participate in the For Kids Sake program will report positive feedback with regards to the following weekly program areas/activities:
� Career and Education Development, including daily homework help and goal setting
� Character and Leadership Development with an emphasis on developing self-esteem and contributing to the community
� Healthy Life Skills, encouraging self sufficiency and wise decision making as well as proven prevention programs
� The Arts, nurturing creativity and cultural awareness
� Sports, Fitness, and recreation, developing physical and social
skills, stress management and appreciation for the environment
The Florida Alliance of Boys & Girls Clubs represents 40 local Boys & Girls Club organizations who operate 238 facilities in 55 Counties across the state of Florida. Last year (2006) these Clubs provided program services to more than 177,000 youth, ages 6 to 18, with specialized, after-school activities in safe, caring environments. Membership demographics are as follows: 49 percent are African American; 22 percent are Caucasian; 15 percent are Hispanic; 6 percent are multi-racial; 1 percent are Asian; and 1 percent are Native American.
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| Is this a project related to a federal or state declared disaster? |
No |
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| Measurable Outcome Anticipated: |
| Boys & Girls Clubs of America�s Outcome Measurement Toolkit will be utilized to measure attitude, knowledge and behavioral changes across program areas. Pre-tests will be given to all youth who participate in the proposed program as presented herein. Boys & Girls Clubs of America's Project Learn, Power Hour and Community Service and Leadership Club programs will use a comprehensive approach to develop effective techniques and strategies that will direct at risk young people to positive alternatives offered by Boys & Girls Clubs affiliated with the Florida Alliance. Through a referral network of linkages by local Clubs with courts, police, other juvenile justice agencies, schools, social service agencies and community organizations, as well as through direct outreach efforts, youth will be recruited and mainstreamed into Club programs. |
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| Amount requested from the State for this project this year: |
$1,000,000 |
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| Total cost of the project: |
$1,000,000 |
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| Request has been made to fund: |
Operations |
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| What type of match exists for this project? |
Local |
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Cash Amount |
$ |
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| Was this project previously funded by the state? |
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No |
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| Is future-year funding likely to be requested? |
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Yes |
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Amount: |
$1,000,000 |
To Fund: |
Operations |
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| Was this project included in an Agency's Budget Request? |
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No |
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| Was this project included in the Governor's Recommended Budget? |
No |
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| Is there a documented need for this project? |
Yes |
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Documentation: |
Colombia University's "Critical Hours Afterschool" ; Penn State University "Community Havens" |
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| Was this project request heard before a publicly noticed meeting of a body of elected officials (municipal, county, or state)? |
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No |
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| Is this a water project as described in Section 403.885, Laws of Florida? |
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No |
