Valley Boys and Girls Club holding on

WASILLA — With closures across the state forced by financial losses, the Boys and Girls Club of Mat-Su is surviving.

“Not a lot of changes in the Mat-Su clubhouse, no funding cuts or decisions made,” said Alana Humphrey, chief operations officer for Boys and Girls Clubs of Alaska.

The same isn’t true for many other of the state’s youth clubhouses. Units in Copper Center, Galena, Juneau, Kivalina, Tyonek and Wrangell have been closed, which has some Valley parents feeling relief that the Wasilla club is remaining open.

“If they closed down, I do not know what I would do,” said Jennifer Dufresne. “This club is important to my son and I.”

Dufresne the club it is great place for children and teens to find positive socialization.

“My son has been coming here for three years, and it is a very valuable place and has had a huge impact in our lives.”

Boys and Girls Club of Mat-Su Manager Howie Marks agrees with the importance of having places that can have positive impacts on children.

“If we do, eventually, get closed, it will be the kids who suffer,” he said. “It is just sad when kids lose a place like this.”

Although the Valley location is out of the woods for now, there is no word on its future, Marks said.

“I was not so sure if we were going to make it,” he said. “We rent the building, so that is a downfall. But for now we are very pleased just to be open.”

He hopes upcoming fund-raisers will help offset the lack of funding statewide and provide a little security for the Valley’s location, housed in a building on Bogard Road.

“We are thinking of a steak dinner kind of thing, so hopefully that will help,” he said, adding that corporations or individuals who want to keep the doors open can donate.

“You know we got people fighting for us to stay open. Anything and everything is appreciated.”

Contact Lanier Hutcheson at lanier.hutcheson@frontiersman.com or 352-2265.