Last Friday, the Boys and Girls Club of the Ozarks hosted Congressman Billy Long at their Branson Unit. Representative Long met with key community stakeholders, State Representative Jeff Justus, Branson Mayor Karen Best and board members of the Club to better understand the services and impact afterschool programs have in the Ozarks Community.
The Club tour was led by three Teens: Jasmine White (2018 Youth of the Year), Trinity Bendall (7th grader at Branson) and Sami Maybe (7th grader at Branson). Jasmine said, “It was an incredible honor to represent the Club for Congressman Billy Long. I will never forget this amazing opportunity!”
During the tour the Teenagers shared the Clubs outcome driven programs and the impact the Club is having in their lives preparing them for graduating on time, being better prepared for the workforce, and making healthy decisions for a healthy lifestyle.
Representative Long engaged in conversation with youth in every department. He was excited to hear about the program’s Forty-hour Internship Tryout (FIT) program and even offered Jasmine a future opportunity to do her internship in his Congressional Office.
Interested in hosting a site visit?
Whether it’s a simple visit or a more elaborate program, it is important that afterschool leaders invite in members of local, state, and federal government to show the importance and value of afterschool for youth and families in their communities. This can lead to more funding and better support for improving quality and sustainability of programs long term.
The Afterschool Alliance has some great resources for helping to plan your site visit. Check their resources for planning a site visit here.
The Missouri AfterSchool Network is also always willing to lend a hand in helping! Contact Casey at hansoncb@missouri.edu for advice or assistance in planning a site visit.
With Lights On Afterschool around the corner on October 25, 2018, now is a great time to start planning a site visit. It is important that we consider inviting out community leaders to highlight afterschool across Missouri, so that we can build support and work toward our mission of high-quality, accessible programs for ALL Missouri youth and families!
MO Afterschool Advocate 