Boys and Girls Club Budget Cuts

An internal error by the Mississippi Department of Education results in a $650,000 budget cut for the Boys and Girls Club.
Eight sites temporarily closed due to lack of funding, leaving 800 children with no after-school care. The budget cut affects nine organizations and five clubs along the Gulf Coast. Many of the clubs will suffer program and service cuts, such as transportation.
According to officials, nearly 1,200 children are impacted by program reductions and eliminations. John Pugh with the IP Center Boys and Girls Club said, “We’re one of the largest membership clubs in the southeast United States. That means we’re serving a lot of community families. A lot of these families, they can’t go to the schools and pick up their children and bring them to the club and pick them up again. It’s just kind of a snowball effect.”
Local clubs hope to partner with schools to help with transportation needs.
If you’re interested in helping, you can donate art supplies, snacks and office supplies to a Boys and Girls Club near you.