General Info:
The Boys & Girls Club of the Ozarks is a non-profit youth development organization that is dedicated to fostering a sense of belonging, positive self-esteem, and accomplishment in all kids. Club Membership is open to all kids ages 6-18, and membership dues are just $25 per year. No child is ever turned away for financial reasons. About The Club The Boys & Girls Club of the Ozarks is a non-profit youth development organization that is dedicated to fostering a sense of belonging, positive self-esteem, and accomplishment in all kids. Club Membership is open to all kids ages 6-18, and membership dues are just $30 per year. No child is ever turned away for financial reasons. We are our area's only full-time, youth agency and is staffed by youth development professionals. The Club is open every day after school and all day long during the summer, giving our kids a safe, fun place to go until their parents or guardians can pick them up. The Club serves children from the Branson, Hollister, Forsyth, Bradleyville, Taneyville, Kirbyville and Reeds Spring School Districts, as well as home-schooled students. The mission of the Boys & Girls Club of the Ozarks is to inspire and enable all young people, especially those that need us most, to reach their full potential as caring, responsible and productive citizens. It is the vision of the Boys & Girls Club of the Ozarks to be recognized as the premier youth development organization in our Ozarks Mountain community by providing leadership, support and inspiration for our youth to make the right choices and prepare for their future. The Club's wide variety of programs and activities ensure that all kids will find activities that interest and excite them at the Club, whether it is playing basketball, learning to play guitar, doing their homework in the Club's state-of-the-art Tech Center, or just playing in the game room. Our award-winning U-Pick Program lets kids choose a different activity almost every day! The Club also provides a hot meal to every member every day after school, for no additional charge. Often, this is the child's only hot meal of the day. ( Two meals a day, plus a snack, are served during the summer. ) Club membership has grown steadily through the years, and we are now serving nearly 1, 200 children from throughout our community! In addition to our members, the Club reaches hundreds of other youth from the area through programs like Girl Scouts, Boys Scouts, outdoor education classes, and community events. The Boys & Girls Club of the Ozarks first opened its doors in 1994 in Branson, and has been in its current facility on Bee Creek Road since 1998. It is officially known as the Shirley M. Schaefer Unit. The Forsyth Unit was originally housed in the fairgrounds building, moved into the Middle School, and finally, in 2001, into its current facility on Panther Road. It is officially known as the Lake Taneycomo Elks Club, Forsyth Unit. Together, the two Units make up the Boys & Girls Club of the Ozarks. In August 2006, the Club began its first school-based program in cooperation with Reeds Spring Elementary School. In December 2008, Boys & Girls Clubs of America granted the Reeds Spring School Site full recognition as a Unit, and expanded to the Primary School Site in August 2009.