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Late in 2024, Boys & Girls Club of the Valley (BGCAZ) has dedicated a lot of time and resources to gearing up for the opening of the new Kingman branch in the early months of 2025. According to Liz Byrne, VP of Regional Impact, BGCAZ representatives have met with Kingman City Council and the Kingman Area Chamber of Commerce and forged partnerships with Kingman Unified School District (KUSD) and Kingman Academy of Learning.
BGCAZ representatives have also participated in Kingman’s annual Walk Away from Drugs public awareness event and the KUSD reality store learning experience to grow in relationship with the community. Additionally, the Club hosted a Christmas shopping spree for 20 local kids. “We matched 20 youth and teens up with some local community members and some corporate partners of ours and we let them go shopping for the holidays,” Byrne said. “They all got $200 and they bought some new clothes and some toys to kind of make their holidays a little bit brighter, which is a typical event we do for all of our Club sites.”
The Club’s directors have also visited other BGCAZ branches to learn from other Clubs and gain a feel for the day-to-day Boys & Girls Club experience. The Kingman Club has opened up preliminary steps for parents and guardians interested in potential enrollment for after-school and out-of-school programming for kids 5-18 years of age.
