Students at Alpha Hart Lewis Elementary enrolled in Columbia will be able to enjoy a program -- for afterschool activities -- within Alpha Hart’s walls.
The Boys and Girls Club cut the ribbon for its first on site program last Tuesday. The program is offered to students at Alpha Hart Elementary for $20 a semester. That afterschool program runs Monday through Friday, 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Community Relations Director, Michelle Baumstark, said the location at Alpha Hart Lewis will benefit the students within those boundaries.
“This partnership will allow us to expand opportunities for students, specifically for Alpha Hart Lewis Elementary school which is in a location where there really aren’t a whole lot of other afterschool programs,” Baumstark said.
Vice President of Operations, Deronne Wilson, said the offsite location will make transportation easier for parents.
“Their kids will be right there on site, and they don’t have to worry about their kids getting transportation to the boys and girls club, like the other school,” Wilson said. “They either have to ride a bus or find a van, or the parents have to drop them off. At Alpha Hart they’re just right there.”
The offsite location offers the same activities housed at the Boys and Girls Club location on 7th street. The club will serve students a nutritious meal, give tutoring, and hold enrichment activities such as dance, basketball, and academic groups.
Officials said they are considering expanding the number of Boy’s and Girl’s club offsite programs in area elementary schools in the future, but the program is currently offered for Alpha Hart Lewis students.