POCATELLO — A fairly new nonprofit that provides after-school programs to the community’s children is making strong headway thanks to the support of those in the area and is excited to hit the ground running with new updates to its programs.

Just this past spring, the steering committee of what was previously known as the Future Boys & Girls Club of Portneuf Valley formed into an official board and voted to update its name to the Boys & Girls Club of Southeast Idaho.

Community members and businesses have already pitched in to help the nonprofit, which kicked off its annual fundraising campaign at the end of March, with Hirning Buick GMC donating $10,000 and the Mountain View Event Center donating $2,500.

“So far the community has been tremendously supportive,” said Boys & Girls Club of Southeast Idaho board member Linda Leeuwrik. “Since we first brought the idea to the community, they’ve just been tremendous about it, and we appreciate that support and hope to have ongoing support as we grow.”

Leeuwrik, who is also a member of the Pocatello City Council, said their fundraising goal this year is to raise $250,000 to help with operating expenses.

“The Boys & Girls Club of America is a very well-respected and well-known name and program, and it is really an after-school program for kids,” she said. “We’re focusing here locally on elementary school children, but the Boys & Girls Club can help (children) anywhere from 5 to 18 years across the country. We’re starting with elementary school age and then we’re going to include other ages and grades as we grow.”

Currently, the Southeast Idaho nonprofit offers after-school programs to children at Syringa Elementary School, which they began in the fall of 2022. Yet they’re already starting to see growth — this month they’re offering a summer program from July 12 to 21 that already has a waitlist, and they’re happy to announce they’ll be offering after-school programs to Indian Hills Elementary School starting this fall.

Expanding their programs into other schools in the area and opening doors to children of all ages is the Club’s goal.

“It’s a safe place to go after school,” said Leeuwrik about the program. “Many kids come from families where they either have two working parents or a one-parent household and there’s no one home when they get home from school. So this is a place they can go. It’s not just a daycare; it’s not just help with homework. It’s a constructive and educational program where they learn all different kinds of things.”

Many of the Boys & Girls Club of America programs can include focuses in several areas, including sports and recreation, education, the arts, health and wellness, workforce readiness, and character and leadership.

In order to bring these educational opportunities to Southeast Idaho and become an official Boys & Girls Club, the steering committee had to gather the data to prove there was a need for it.

“We definitely showed that this area does have a need for it,” Leeuwrik said. “There are some programs in some of our schools and churches for kids that do things, but there were many kids not being served and the idea was to open this up to them.”

She added, “It’s about helping kids become successful in school and in life. All the data shows that kids who are a part of this program do really well in school and later go on to become very successful citizens in life as well.”

Currently the Boys & Girls Club of Southeast Idaho is under the purview of the one in Magic Valley, but they are working on becoming independent by the fall of this year. Leeuwrik explained that donations of any size are extremely welcome and appreciated, as they help keep the program sustainable.

“It’s been a success, but we need funds to keep running it,” she said. “If people would like to donate, they can go to our website … or get in touch with a board member.”

To those who would like to help the Boys & Girls Club of Southeast Idaho reach their fundraising goal and support community schoolchildren, visit www.bgcsei.com.