TRUCKEE, Calif. — The Boys and Girls Club of North Lake Tahoe has officially opened in Truckee.

Located in Kings Beach, where the club serves several hundred children on a daily basis, a smaller version of the club opened for after-school programs at Truckee Elementary on Jan. 5.

“The club in Truckee really came about through the efforts of Valerie Simpson (Truckee Elementary principal),” says BGCNLT executive director Mindy Carbajal. “Valerie called me and said, ‘how do we make this happen?’ She wanted a place for Truckee kids to go after school and have fun while receiving academic support.”

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The program at Truckee Elementary differs a bit from the one at Kings Beach in that the focus is on academics.

But, says Carbajal, since it is still a Boys and Girls Club, there is big element of fun involved.

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“Right now, we are focused on building relationships with the kids, playing games and having some fun,” says Carbajal. “We initiated our ‘power hour’ homework program right from the beginning and it’s going great.”

The Truckee Elementary program has a capacity to serve 125 children a day. So far, they have about 75 kids enrolled, with an average of 50 attending on a daily basis.

Students in need are given priority enrollment. That need is determined by a number of different factors including financial need and referrals from teachers who have assessed kids who could use additional academic support.

Carbajal says as the program grows enrollment will open to any student who wants to attend regardless of need.

She hopes the word gets out to kids that the Boys and Girls Club is a fun place to be after school.

For now, they are serving kids at just Truckee Elementary. But they are looking at options to bus kids from Glenshire Elementary to the Truckee Elementary site.

The Boys and Girls Club Truckee Elementary program came together through a wide variety of efforts, donations and collaborations.

The S. H. Cowell Foundation was a major funding partner along with the school district and the Excellence in Education Foundation.

In addition, many individuals from the Truckee community stepped forward with monetary donations to make the program a reality.

“It’s a very diverse group of supporters who came together to make this after-school program happen,” says Carbajal. “Our donors really reflect the Truckee community.”

Enrollment for the Truckee after-school program is ongoing. An informational meeting is scheduled for Jan. 26 at 6p.m. in the Truckee Elementary School cafeteria.

The cost to participate in the program is a $50 annual fee. It is a drop-in program, which means it’s up to parents and their kids to decide which days they want to attend.

For more information, call 530-546-4324.

Shelly Purdy is an Excellence in Education board member. Visit http://www.exined.org to learn more.