Children at the Fallon Youth Club sport masks they created during an arts and crafts session.
In this debut column, it is my job to introduce The Fallon Youth Club (The Club) to our community, a task I have attempted for the last six years, but to date, have failed to complete in that I have not properly described our services to the community. I know I have failed because, if you had a thorough understanding of the services we provide to the youth of our community, you would be lining up to contribute to our efforts. So consider this column a challenge, to you, to visit our operation, talk with us and witness, for yourself, the quality of the services The Club provides to this community.
I invite you to visit us after school to see the children participating in our homework assistance program, peer discussion groups and life-skill development opportunities.
Experience, first hand, the feeling you get when you see a child make a break-through in his/her studies. Feel the satisfaction you can get when children tell you that they chose not to steal because you told them that good choices will enrich their lives. Watch the confidence grow in children when they are provided an environment where they are encouraged to express themselves and relay that same encouragement to their peers. I invite you to see for yourself that, since The Club’s inception, more than 1,000 different youth have come through our doors and that our after school and summer meal programs deliver more than 8,500 lunches and upward of 20,000 snacks per year to the youth of our community. See the 70 to 100 children that show up on a daily basis seeking our services.
Finally, I invite you to confirm for yourself that we could not provide all these services without regular financial commitments from the residents of this community. I invite you to visit because we at The Club know that you are likely to support our program if you take just a small amount of time to see the importance of its existence first-hand.
This community is fortunate to have a program like the Fallon Youth Club. I have found it both a privilege and a pleasure to spend my time and my money in support of it, and I believe, if you take just a little bit of time to visit us, you will want to join me in support of The Club.
For information about the club, its services and donation programs such as “Love the Club,” call 775-423-6926 or visit the website at www.fallonyouthclub.com or search Fallon Youth Club on Facebook.
Lem Mackedon is the president of the board of directors for the Fallon Youth Club.