Boys & Girls Clubs of North Louisiana celebrates opening of Monroe Clubhouses

The Boys & Girls Clubs of North Louisiana celebrated the opening of two new sites on Tuesday.

In conjunction with the Monroe Chamber of Commerce and the City of Monroe, Boys & Girls Club held a ribbon cutting at Saul Adler Community Center. It, along with Powell Street Community Center, will house our Club Blue afterschool program to students in grades 3rd-5th with the intention of growing the program each year.

“Clue Blue is designed to start with small numbers and to gradually grow the club sites as the need arises and the community’s ability to support it,” said Eldonta Osborne, CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of North Louisiana.

Osborne addressed the room on Tuesday afternoon, along with Monroe Mayor Friday Ellis, Monroe City Schools Superintendent Dr. Brent Vidrine and United Way President Janet Durden and Vice President of Community Impact & Organizational Strategy Kim Lowery.

All were in agreement that our biggest investment is the youth of North Louisiana with Mayor Ellis stating 1 in 5 children are home alone after school.

“This collaboration is an example of what can happen in a community when we work together,” Osborne said. “When we work together, we can have the greatest impact on our youth which ultimately is the future of our community.”

Dr. Vidrine pointed out that the Club Blue programming out of Saul Adler Community Center will benefit the students at Sallie Humble Elementary, while Powell Street will cater to students at Roy Shelling Elementary School.

Applications for afterschool members are being accepted at both sites. Parents and guardians can visit the sites between 3-6 p.m.

In addition to the two Monroe sites, Boys & Girls Clubs of North Louisiana have added clubs in Homer and Haynesville, with the anticipation of opening sites in Bastrop and Farmerville by the end of the first quarter.