Telling the story of Hot Springs' new youth club

by Penny Wood

February 17, 2009 | | Hot Springs, South Dakota

Photo: Brett Nachtigall/Hot Springs Star

Penny Wood, right, poses with Cyndi Tschetter, the New Boys and Girls Club director, inside the site of the new club, the Hot Springs Elementary School Multi-Purpose Room.

Young people in Hot Springs, S.D., don't have much to do outside of school, especially those coming from low-income families. Penny Wood kept this in mind as she and key people in the community, including the mayor, school superintendent, and Hot Springs Star publisher, worked together to bring a new Boys & Girls Club into town.

Wood, who took part in Hot Springs' Horizons anti-poverty program and joined an action group to do something for young people in the community, shares the story of how the Club came to be.

“I am retired and when you no longer have a time clock to punch, you kind of get lazy. So, my daughter told me that I needed to do something, and she wasn’t so delicate about it.

“A friend of mine was on the steering committee for the Horizons study circles, so I asked her about the program. She said, ‘I’m glad you asked!’ and she encouraged me to join the program. I agreed, but I wasn’t sure this was really for me.

“But, the longer I sat in the conversations, the more I learned. I didn’t know a lot of the people in the community, but I started meeting people and hearing concerns that were similar to my own. I liked that part of the program.

“After the dialogues, I decided to join the children and youth action group. We knew that we needed to do something for the kids in the community, so we did a survey in the schools asking: ‘What would you like in Hot Springs?’ The number one thing that the kids wanted was a safe place to hang out.

“One member of our group talked with someone at the YMCA who then referred us to the Boys & Girls Club. The Club offers organization, focus, and a totally different approach. It also has national recognition and a much better chance of surviving in this community. As a group, we agreed that we really liked the idea.

“But, we needed a home for the Club. We have a new school superintendent and he said, ‘Why can’t there be something here at school? It should be used in the off hours, too, and you should utilize it.’ He really championed this project. We don’t have to pay any overhead for use of the school’s gymnasium and adjoining hallway for the Club.

Photo: Brett Nachtigall/Hot Springs Star

Boys and Girls Club of Hot Springs staff work with a group of club members on the opening day of the new Boys and Girls Club in January.

“Also, with the guidance from the Boys & Girls Club, we applied for and received a one-time $40,000 grant from the Office of Justice Programs. It took us a year and a half to make the Club happen in Hot Springs. With the help of volunteers and some part-time paid staff, we offer sports, games, arts and crafts and homework assistance.

“The issue of poverty was central to the Horizons program, and we kept that in mind as we created the Club. Membership is only $30 a year, per child. But, if you’re struggling, $30 is $30. We have an indoor pool that costs $10 a day to go swim. How do you address poverty charging $10 a day? Not a lot of people can afford this.

“Fifty percent of young people in Hot Springs qualify for reduced or free lunches. So, many of our kids are receiving free Club memberships and I’m glad to see that. The kids are accepted unconditionally. No one is tagged as being lower income.

“There is one single working mom with twin 8-year-old girls who qualifies for the free memberships. She said that the program is so worth it that she’s going to pay the memberships with her tax return money.

“Without the study circles, we would not have had the Boys & Girls Club. The program brought the right people together who had a vision of something else. It’s awesome to see.”

Learn more: Poverty  | Youth