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About Illinois Valley news. (Cave City, Oregon) 1937-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 16, 2002)
Page 12 B&G Club ... Continued from page 11 "(Without the Boys & Girls Club) they wouldn't have a place to go." The after-school program is one of several that the club provides. The varied list in- cludes the "Learn and Serve" program, which educates members on the importance of community service. Team sports are also a big part of the club. Leagues in- clude tackle football, basket- ball, and volleyball. Thornhill said club is also looking at starting a girls softball pro- gram. There is also an outdoor recreation and environmental education program, which includes a trip to the coast every summer. "I can guarantee we could fill two 15-person vans with kids that have never even been as far as the Redwoods," Thornhill said. "We really like to try to get the kids out of town just to see there's more than three stoplights, and give them a broader aspect of what's going on." Thornhill stressed the val- ues of character and leader- ship, the arts, sports, recrea- tion and fitness, as well as health and life skills are woven into all of its programs. While noting that attract- ing high school students to the club is a challenge, Thornhill noted efforts that are under way to get back into the high schools. "It is a bit more difficult when I don't have my own facility," he said. "High school kids don't want to go down to the elementary school." He also noted that the club received a grant to hire some- one to assess what the best location might be for an Illi- nois Valley facility of its own. A new Boys & Girls Club facility is being built in Grants Pass, where the club is based. "Hopefully they're headed out here,” said Thornhill, “and after that and we can have one of the newer and more up-to- date buildings in the whole city of Cave Junction, maybe." Club’s history in valley shows service growth The Illinois Valley Boys & Girls Club was established in Cave Junction in 1989. Initially providing sum- mer programs, in the last sev- eral years it began offering year-round services. The I.V. unit serves the communities from O’Brien to Selma. The I.V. Boys & Girls Club and its units in Josephine and Jackson counties are run by the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Rogue Valley, and affili- ated with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. With its expansion, the Boys & Girls Club of the Rogue Valley now has units in Wolf Creek, White City, Tal- ent, and Phoenix. The clubs are open to eve- ryone between 6-18 years old. The cost to become a member is approximately $15 per year. There is a charge of $30 for flag football, basket- ball and volleyball, and $75 for tackle football. Scholar- ships are available. I.V. receives money from fund-raising efforts of the Grants Pass club. Grants, local donations and sponsorships also bring funds. For more information on making a donation to the I.V. Boys & Girls Club unit, or about becoming a member, phone 592-4771. The bright light in the sky seen Monday night, Oct. 14 by a number of Illinois Valley residents most likely was a missile fired from Vandenburg Air Force Base. Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, OR 97523, October 16, 2002