By: Juli Metzger—
Eight-year-old Dorion Montgomery is a second-grader at Longfellow Elementary School. Each day, he takes the bus to the Boys & Girls Club of Muncie to participate in Project Learn, a program that is proven to increase academic performance.
Dorion is just one of the benefactors of a newly announced $50,000 grant from the George and Frances Ball Foundation that will go toward supporting Project Learn.
“We couldn’t be more pleased or grateful for this generous support,” said James Mitchell, president of the Boys & Girls Club of Muncie board of directors. “Third-grade reading attainment is essential for success later in life and this nationally sanctioned learning program provides homework help and one-on-one tutoring.”
Participation in this program will help drive academic success for youth. Highlights of the program include:
- Homework help for Club members five to six hours weekly so that they will develop a daily habit of completing assignments and preparing for class
- Individual or small-group tutoring to help youth gain proficiency and to excel in needed subject areas
- Regular implementation of high-yield activities, in which youth participate in fun, intentional activities designed to expose young people to skills and information needed for school success
- School-Club-family partnerships to support youth academically
- Recognizing all members for their academic achievements.
The George and Frances Ball Foundation grant will help fund a full-time Education Coordinator to coordinate Project Learn.
“When young people enjoy school and feel a sense of accomplishment, they are more likely to finish school and go on to post-secondary education or additional job training- and to become the lifelong learners we want them to be,” Mitchell said.
Project Learn was developed to engage young people in learning, encourage them to succeed in school and help them become lifelong learners. Over a three-year period, a national evaluation of Project Learn showed statistically significant grade improvements and an increase in attendance rates for program participants.
For 84 years, Boys & Girls Club of Muncie has provided after-school programs for youth in Delaware County. The facility is a standing monument known to the community as a safe place to go after school (and during the summer). BGCM is place to call home where youth can go and achieve Academic Success, Good Character & Citizenship & Healthy Lifestyles.
BGCM is committed to ensure that all kids, especially those who need us most, have a positive and enriching experience when the school bell rings to put them on the path to success.
The vision of BGCM is to provide a world-class Club experience, serving as a catalyst for an age where success is within reach of every young person who walks through our doors, with all members on track to graduate from high school with a plan for the future, demonstrating good character and citizenship, and living a healthy lifestyle.
Juli Metzger is a board member of the Boys & Girls Club of Muncie
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