Credit: Town of Wareham
WAREHAM – Selectmen in Wareham are reassuring residents that the Wareham Unit of the Boys and Girls Club of Greater New Bedford is not closing.
The Wareham Unit Director Kenneth Fontes told selectmen that the club is in a difficult financial situation with available revenues depleting.
Fontes acknowledged that the Wareham facility would close if things continue.
The club served 150 children last summer and has around 75 youths with year-round memberships.
“Over 90 percent of our club kids come from families that are extremely low-income families, there are a lot of single parents, so we have to do everything and hope that the town supports us in trying to keep the club open,” said Fontes.
The club is based at the former Ethel Hammond Elementary School in Onset.
The cost to lease a portion of the school is $1,200 a month for the Boys and Girls Club and is a fiscal strain to the organization.
An advisory board has been created by the organization to actively seek ways to the keep the Wareham unit alive but have asked selectmen to help make improvements to the building’s exterior and adjacent grounds.
Selectmen Chair Judith Whiteside said that the $40 monthly fee for the unit provides a lot of support for the children.
“That $40 gives them a heated, safe place where they have snacks and adult supervision, there is no price tag on that,” said Whiteside. “It will close over my dead body.”
By JUSTIN SAUNDERS, CapeCod.com Newscenter
About CapeCod.com NewsCenter
