This holiday season, Payless ShoeSource’s program titled ‘Payless Gives Shoes 4 Kids’ donated over 100 pairs of shoes to members of the Boys and Girls Club of Dayton. ‘Payless Gives Shoes 4 Kids,’ or ‘PGS4K,’ has donated a total of over $6.5 million in shoes to nonprofit organizations throughout the nation over a period of seven years in the hope that shoes will never be the reason a child is left out.
Although properly-fitting shoes play an important role in the health and development of children, many children do not own a pair of shoes that fit. The Boys and Girls Club of Dayton, along with PGS4K, are working to improve these conditions here in Ohio.
The Boys and Girls Club of America states that their mission is “to inspire and enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as caring, productive, responsible citizens.” Their core beliefs include providing children with a safe environment in which they can learn, grow, develop relationships with caring adult professionals, experience character development and life enhancement, and in which they can develop a sense of hope and opportunity.
The Boys and Girls Club of America provides youth programs with three main focuses: academic success, civil and social engagement and healthy lifestyles.
The academic success programs include opportunities to prepare for higher education, explore career options and to become well-rounded in fine arts skills. Mentors help youth prepare for higher education by providing guidance in setting educational goals and assisting in solidifying plans for continuing education.
The Civil and Social Engagement Youth Program consists of smaller sub-groups. The Keystone Club and the Torch Club provide youth with service and leadership opportunities. The Civil and Social Engagement Youth Program also provides the option of exploring youth development careers. In some situations, the youth involved in the Boys and Girls Club of America will explore and choose careers in the field of youth development, and will mature through the process of earning a degree and returning to the Boys and Girls Club to mentor another child. This youth program also recognizes and celebrates the accomplishments of the youth, and annually names one child “Youth of the Year.” The Youth of the Year exemplifies service to school, family, the club and the community.
The Healthy Lifestyles Youth Group consists of sub-groups, as well. The healthy habits concept of this youth group is to solidify values of good nutrition, regular physical activity, and other values that provide us with an overall sense of well-being. The Healthy Lifestyles Youth Group includes an important program, Date Smart. The Date Smart program consists of two groups, SMART Girls and Passport to Manhood. The Date Smart program exists to help involve youth in healthy, non-violent relationships, in which both parties promote equality.
In partnering with Payless ShoeSource, the Boys and Girls Club of America has provided over 50 youths in Dayton with shoes, with each child receiving two pairs of fitting winter shoes.
The Boys and Girls Club of Dayton is truly helping our local youth put their best foot, and shoe, forward.
- Sat. Nov 23rd, 2024