The Boys & Girls Clubs of Nash/Edgecombe Counties has been selected to serve as one of 20 funded sites for Boys & Girls Clubs of America's Family PLUS (Parents Leading, Uniting, Serving) program.

As a funded site, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Nash/Edgecombe Counties recieves a contribution of $16,250 from the Family PLUS sponsor, Kimberly-Clark Corp., to increase its support to Club families.

This support includes providing resources to parents and other caregivers on how to increase involvement in their children's lives, as well as how to take advantage of a network of available services. Family PLUS also incorporates programming and collaborations from other community agencies.

Program Director Tashica Bellamy of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Nash/Edgecombe Counties, recently traveled to Boys & Girls Clubs of America's national headquarters in Atlanta to learn strategies for helping club families during a Family PLUS training.

"It is important to have male role models in the clubs," Bellamy said. "Fathers of club members can use their knowledge to build relationships with their children and other children in the clubs that may or may not have fathers in the home."

Family PLUS is designed to address family needs and provide resources for solutions. The program focuses on five components: kinship care, father involvement, economic opportunity, outreach strategies and Family Advocacy Network (FAN Club).

As a funded site, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Nash/Edgecombe Counties has chosen to implement Outreach Strategies and Economic Opportunity. The organization chose to implement the component of Outreach Strategies and Family Advocacy Network (FAN Club), because outreach allows the organization to reach beyond the walls of the clubs to serve youth who can not attend the club on a daily basis.

"The Family PLUS program will allow the Boys & Girls Clubs of Nash/Edgecombe Counties the opportunity to assist the community in providing youth and their familes support to ensure they lead healthy and successful lives," said Shonda Johnson, director of program services. "The Boys & Girls Clubs of Nash/Edgecombe Counties is committed to providing opportunites for youth and their families to become educated on how they can become healthier."

The organization will be incorporating programs in the areas of health, nutrition and exercise. The organization understands some families are challenged with budgeting for a healthy lifestyle. It is the goal of the organization to educate families on how to budget for healthy living. A series of workshops, Money Matters: "Budgeting for Health" will be conducted at the Clubs for families.

"We are extremely excited about this opportunity to increase parental involvement in our Clubs by offering services to families," said Director of Operations Ronald McNeill. "Although our mission is to inspire and enable young people with essential tools to be productive citizens we understand that strengthening the family members of a child can be unbelievablely beneficial to their success. We invite the individuals in the community to visit our Clubs during the Family Plus events and activities as we strive to empower our Club members through family support."

Officials at both the Boys & Girls Clubs of America and Kimberly-Clark Corp. understand that family plays and integral role in shaping the lives of young people. The two groups are pleased to provide the Boys & Girls Clubs of Nash/Edgecombe Counties the resources to enhance the lives of children by creating a positive atmosphere to maintain and increase stable families.

To learn more about Family PLUS, visit http://familyplus.bgca.org.

To learn more about the Boys & Girls Clubs of Nash/Edgecombe Counties visit us at www.bgcnec.org

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