Courtesy photos.
SANTA BARBARA — The Boys & Girls Club of Santa Barbara (BGSB) on June 11 opened its doors for the first week of Summer Spectacular Camp and the line was around the block. With the help of grants from local foundations and businesses, BGSB cut their fees in half to make summer camp only $25 per week. “Charging hundreds of dollars a month for summer camp would leave out the majority of our families and this is when they need us most,” Executive Director Laurie Leis said. On the first day alone, 147 excited kids ages 6 to 18 showed up for Summer Spectacular. Although camp is only $5 a day, scholarships are also offered based on income.
The camp starts at 8:00am and runs until 5:30pm with a full day of activities, sports, field trips, science labs and more. BGSB also provides breakfast, lunch, and a visit from the Santa Barbara Unified School District Mobile Cafe supper program. In addition to educational programs, Summer Spectacular gives kids a chance to go on field trips to local museums, beaches, a whale watching cruise, hiking trails, and a 3-day camping trip at Lake Cachuma. Kids at BGSB also have full access to an art studio, library, computer lab, gym, and music recording studio. “I came to the Club because my friends and I could always play in the gym and we looked forward to Teen Night every Friday,” said Avery Artigo, one of the Club’s alumni. Avery now works as a lifeguard at Summer Spectacular. “The kids need me just like I needed the Club when I started coming here in fourth grade,” he said.
Summer camp and afterschool programs at the Boys & Girls Club of Santa Barbara rely on the generosity of individual donors and volunteers in the community. Please visit www.boysgirls.org or call (805) 962-2382 to donate, sign up as a volunteer, or learn more about the Boys & Girls Club of Santa Barbara.