The Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Maria Valley turns 50 years old this month, just in time for a birthday present from Ross Stores Inc.
Ross has partnered with Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) for the month of February, giving Santa Maria’s Ross customers the opportunity to donate to their local Boys & Girls Clubs at checkout.
The annual donation program, called “Help Local Kids Learn,” will bring money into the Boys & Girls Clubs’ Power Hour program. Power Hour provides both group and one-on-one after-school tutoring to kids aged 6 to 18, according to Jeremy Deming, executive director of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Maria Valley.
Help Local Kids Learn began last year, which Deming said reeled in more than $1,000 for Power Hour. He said this year’s program is expected to generate between $3,000 and $5,000.
“We’re highly encouraged to see businesses like Ross stores support our programs and services,” Deming told the Sun. “It is incredibly important for the business community to give back to the youth who need us most in our community, and we’re grateful for that support every year.”
In a statement, Gary Cribb, executive vice President for Ross Stores, highlighted the stores’ commitment to partnering with community nonprofits.
“Ross Stores Inc. supports charitable organizations that help empower young people in the communities we serve,” Cribb said. “In the month of February, we invite our Ross Dress for Less customers to join us in donating to the Power Hour program at local Boys & Girls Clubs to help kids thrive in school and beyond.”
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Maria Valley include seven club sites in Santa Maria and three in Guadalupe, serving 1,400 registered club members. Deming said the organization focuses on five core program areas:
- • Character and leadership development
- • Health and life skills
- • Education and career development
- • Arts
- • Sports, fitness, and recreation
Including the Boys & Girls’ Clubs’ outreach and sports programs, the organization serves a total of 6,900 children locally, according to Deming. He said 90 percent of these kids come from disadvantaged backgrounds, include families living below the poverty line or that are headed by a single parent.
“The kids that we serve through our club sites each and every day are the kids that need us most,” Deming said.
Each $3 donation at a local Ross store will provide one hour of homework for a student benefiting from Power Hour, and every $15 provides after-school care for children through the program. The donations are 100 percent allocated to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Maria Valley.
Highlights
• The Chumash Casino Resort Hotel, Willows restaurant, and Hotel Corque have all once again earned the AAA Four Diamond Award, which is awarded to the finest hotels and restaurants.
This is the 11th consecutive year that the hotel at the Chumash Casino Resort received the award, the 10th year in a row for Willows restaurant, and the fourth consecutive year for Hotel Corque.
Only 5.4 percent of the more than 29,000 hotels approved by AAA make the Four Diamond list, and only 2.3 percent of the nearly 30,000 restaurants approved by AAA receive the honor.
Willows received a makeover in 2015, giving the fine-dining restaurant an emphasis on relaxed elegance with private dining rooms for small or large parties. The Chumash Casino Resort Hotel has remained open throughout the tribe’s recent casino-hotel expansion project. Upon completion in May, the hotel will feature 330 rooms, including 55 suites and the 12th-floor, 1,700-square-foot Chairman’s Suite.
Staff Writer Brenna Swanston wrote this week’s Biz Spotlight. Information should be sent to the Sun via fax, email, or mail.
This article appears in Feb 18-25, 2016.
