After a year”s worth of transfusions, the Columbus Boys and Girls Club is again standing on its own.
From January to December 2010, eight local churches picked up the club”s $2,800 mortgage, giving it time to catch up and get out of the red.
For now, the club is solid financially.
“It was a very successful initiative to help support the Boys and Girls Club, and some of the churches continue to support us,” said Mel Ray, corporate president of the Boys and Girls Club of the Golden Triangle. “Overall, the organization is strong. We”re in the best fiscal position we”ve been in for about the last five years.”
Steven James, pastor of United Christian Baptist Church of Columbus, believes, because of the nature of the club, it will always be in need of outside funding.
“They try not to charge a lot of money,” James said. “The vast majority of children who go there probably can”t afford a lot of money to go there. We want to keep it affordable. At the same time, there is an expense you have to pay for.”
Members of the club pay $100 for each school semester and another $100 for the summer session. During school, the club offers tutoring and help with homework. During the summer, the club hosts enrichment projects, field trips and special classes. Throughout the year, the agency offers a variety of youth clubs geared toward character building and good decision making.
“We”re probably the least expensive program there is for every day and after-school programming,” Ray said.
Annually, it costs the club about $1,200 per year to serve each member.
The club operates on a $155,000 budget per year; funding comes primarily from grants, local donations, fundraisers and allocations from the United Way, City of Columbus and Lowndes County. Expenditures are around $155,000 to $160,000 each year.
“We generally come right in on budget. There”s never an excess,” said Ray. There have been deficits in the past, but we have been able to overcome those.”
The Columbus club operates with the lowest administrative payroll of any of the clubs in the U.S., he noted and only has one full-time employee, director Steve Moody.
Another six workers are part time, and there are “a host of volunteers.”
The club moved from its location on 20th Street North, across the street from the old Hunt school, in 2001, and built its new facility on 14th Avenue North.
The club still owes about $275,000 on the building and pays a $2,800 monthly mortgage.
Along with United Christian Baptist Church, Greater Mt. Zion Church, New Beginning Full Gospel Baptist Church, Kingdom Vision International Church, Maranatha Faith Center, First Presbyterian Church, Missionary Union Baptist Church and New Zion Steens Baptist Church contributed to the Boys and Girls Club”s mortgage over last year.
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