The Boys and Girls Club of North Mississippi

Six different club locations across five counties make up the Boys and Girls Clubs of North Mississippi (BGCNMS). Altogether they serve just over 2,000 children, adolescents and teens ages 6–18 years old. The clubs run after–school and summer programs, both of which are instrumental to the education concentration at the forefront of the BGCNMS mission.

Not long ago a board member heard about the 4imprint® one by one® program and decided to apply. They were overjoyed with news that they had received an in–kind donation of sport bags worth over $500. The bags were meant for the kids in the summer program to use for going to the park, pool, on day trips with the club or out and about on their own activities.

Club staff and volunteers noticed that the kids using the sport bags were actually helping to spread the word as they carried them throughout the community. It increased awareness of the Boys and Girls Club because people noticed the logo on their bags. When kids saw other kids with the bags or backpacks, they asked about the program and if they could come. Ultimately, more kids joined the BGCNMS over the summer months.

Some of the clubs distributed the bags and backpacks to everyone enrolled in the summer program while others presented the bags and backpacks as an incentive for good behavior. Director of Special Events Evie Storey Boyd noted that the kids were happy regardless of how they received them. "With tight budgeting, it is often difficult to provide promotional items to members, so it was a very special treat."

For more information about The Boys and Girls Club of North Mississippi, please visit http://www.bgcnms.org/ opens in new window