Club location serves children in the Merle Hay and Beaverdale neighborhoods.
DES MOINES, Iowa—September 16, 2020—When students return to school this year, kids who are used to walking through the blue doors of the Boys & Girls Club at Meredith Middle School will find that it has a new name. This school year, the Club site will be renamed the Huskies Boys & Girls Club.
“In the four years since the Boys & Girls Club at Meredith Middle School opened its doors, the number of kids who attend Club monthly has increased by over 500 percent,” said Jodie Warth, CEO of BGCCI. “Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Iowa wanted to find a way to rally our Club kids together, especially during such a tumultuous time. With the passion and pride resonating from these neighborhoods, the obvious name was Huskies Club.”
The Huskies Club serves about 369 kids ranging from 6 to 12 grades, primarily attending Meredith Middle and Hoover High School. Hoover is considered the most diverse high school in the state of Iowa based on student demographic statistics. The student body is fairly balanced mix of ethnicity between Black, White, Latino and Asian; and 41 languages spoken. Nearly 35 percent of the 6,800 students are listed with English as their second language.
Along with other select Central Iowa Clubs, the Huskies Club is currently offering a virtual learning program, helping students navigate course work that is conducted online. Regular Club is open in the afternoon as well, closely following CDC guidelines for child and staff safety and wellness. For more information, call 515-242-7925.