This article was originally posted on A for Arizona, be sure to visit their website for more information.
The Arizona Alliance for Boys & Girls Clubs is honored to receive a new $1 million investment in the social and emotional health programs that we offer to students around the State. Together, Arizona Clubs serve more than 110,000 youth in rural, urban and suburban communities; and, our members have struggled throughout the pandemic. Thanks to early investments from Governor Doug Ducey and the State of Arizona, tens of thousands of youth were able to access summer programs to help them stay on track with their academics and access SEL (Social Emotional Learning) modules under the care of trained Youth Development Professionals in Clubs.
Governor Ducey’s $1 million investment will support a one-year program that will provide up to 5,000 kids and teens with critical life and social-emotional skills training. The Arizona Alliance of Boys & Girls Clubs will use the funding to support salaries of critical personnel, develop curricula, provide equipment such as computers and tablets, and more. We are grateful for the continued partnership and recognition of the effectiveness of these programs.
One of the key challenges facing schools and Boys & Girls Clubs around the State is transportation to Clubs. Today, A for Arizona awarded schools and districts around the State with grants from their Arizona Transportation Modernization Grant Program, a $20 million initiative to modernize K-12 transportation options and improve access to reliable and safe transportation for students.
Boys & Girls of Bisbee received a grant for $200,000 to purchase busses and vans to transport students; Vista College Prep was awarded $1 million to build a new collaborative and reliable transportation option with BGCAZ; and Avondale Elementary School District was awarded $150,000 to help connect their students to after school programs including Clubs. We are grateful to the team at A for Arizona for their recognition of these challenges and their investment in innovative solutions to help connect students to programs they need.
