HOW THE MATCHING GRANTS WILL BE USED

What do the clubs do?

The Boys & Girls Club of Hot Springs conducts after school and summer programming for kids ranging from Kindergarten through high school. In 2019, the Hot Springs Club served 210 youth in our community with programming designed to help youth become responsible, caring, productive citizens. The club also provides academic support and programming, and has served over 12,400 snacks and hot meals to our youth in the last year. 

Why do they need our help?

The Boys & Girls Clubs intentionally keep their fees as low as possible to ensure that all families who need their services have access to them. Community support—your support—helps them to continue their mission.

Your ongoing support helps ensure that Hot Springs kids receive the support they need to have GREAT futures as members of our community. 

Tell me about the grants.

We have been offered two generous grants from TWO MODERN WOODMEN CHAPTERS. Modern Woodmen does so much for the communities where they do business and we are deeply grateful for their ongoing support! These are MATCHINGgrants. That means that the Community must first demonstrate their care and concern for the cause these grants support by raising the equivalent amount of money. Stars, Stripes & Steps donates all the monies (after expenses) to the Boys & Girls Club. Because we have so many generous Business and Individual sponsors (we call them our Stars), most of our expenses are covered by those sponsorships. That means that the fees you pay for registration or the direct donations go mostly to the Boys & Girls Club.

Can you meet these matches?

Last year we had no trouble meeting our matching grants, with plenty to spare. But this year not only do we have more matching opportunities, we have the added burden of economic downturn due to Covid. Thus, more than ever, we need new business sponsors and especially help from those individuals who were not financially hurt by the shutdown. Whether you can spare $10, $50, $100 or more—or anything at all—we need your support to meet these matches!

How will the grant dollars be used?

$2000 from Rapid City Modern Woodmen:

The first grant, from the RAPID CITY CHAPTER OF MODERN WOODMEN, is for $2,000. This grant, if earned, would be used to purchase new bikes for the kids. The Boys and Girls Club serves kids from Kindergarten through high school, and they would love to have a better variety of bikes on hand so that more kids can participate in the summer bike rides. The money would also be used to purchase spare parts and additional helmets to keep equipment in good working order. A small portion would also go toward a stipend for a local bike repair expert to come to the Club monthly through the summer to show kids how to repair and maintain their bikes—that is a skill that will be useful through their lives.

$2500 from Hot Springs Modern Woodmen:

The second grant, from the HOT SPRINGS CHAPTER OF MODERN WOOMEN, is for $2,500. This grant, if earned, would be used for long overdue signs and exterior work on the building we acquired in late 2018. The signs are the biggest portion of this need, but there is also some need for additional exterior paint and a need to improve the barrier between the playground are and the sidewalk, to minimize the possibility of contact between the kids and passersby. The signs will be a huge help in increasing the Clubs overall visibility, improve community awareness of the Club and create a more inviting atmosphere that ensures parents that this is a safe, caring and fun place for their kids to be outside school hours.