I think everyone has heard of The Boys & Girls Clubs of America, especially if you watch sports programs where Denzel Washington frequently promotes the clubs. I can't remember a time I didn't know about them. So why isn't there one in Chapel Hill or Carrboro or all of Orange County?

One day a friend told me we needed one here and that 52 percent of people who had been members of a club growing up said it "saved their lives." That got my attention! The club members didn't just say, "Oh, it was an interesting experience" or "I made good friends." No! They said something much more profound about their experience.

They said that without the clubs, they might have been in serious trouble, in jail or even dead. I never heard people talk like that about other childhood experiences and I began to wonder what makes Boys & Girls Clubs experiences so different and have such a long-lasting impact.

The clubs started in 1860 when two housewives invited some street boys in for milk and cookies. Since then, Boys & Girls Clubs have developed tailor-made programming specifically designed to help school-age children from "challenging circumstances" (or as they now say, "children who need us most") to realize their full potential as productive, responsible and caring citizens.

These clubs are unique - open every day after school, all summer and on weekends. They are affordable, so that children from low-income families are able to attend. Chapel Hill has wonderful programs for children, but they are expensive, short term and many have waiting lists. A child enrolled in a Boys & Girls Club may attend every day, including summers, for the duration of his schooling. And the summer program assures that children will not lose the academic gains they have made during the year.

Boys & Girls Clubs provide structured programming in five core areas: leadership and character development, the arts, health and life skills, sports, fitness and recreation. But the main focus is on academic success - tutoring, setting goals and getting kids through each grade and graduated from high school.

Is there a need in Chapel Hill for a Boys & Girls Club?

Perhaps you are not aware that 600 families here live on $15,000 or less a year and 900 children are on the free or reduced fee school lunch program. These families cannot afford the costs of existing youth programs. And, although we do not like to talk about it, Chapel Hill has a drug and gang problem. Just ask any law enforcement officer in town.

The Chapel Hill Carrboro School system has worked hard for years to close the achievement gap between black and white students, with little success. A Boys & Girls Club in Chapel Hill will have a direct impact on these problems. Studies show that Club members improve their grades, are more likely to graduate from high school and are more likely to stay away from gangs and drugs. Boys & Girls Clubs are good preventive medicine, providing structured programming by professional staff.

It can also be imagined that the recent murders in Chapel Hill might never have occurred if a Boys & Girls Club had been in existence when the perpetrators were youngsters. As Judge Joe Buckner, (Orange-Chatham District Court) told me the other day, "There is no greater need."

Isn't that what we want for our town, to be known as a place that serves all our children?

We have made progress. Our board has identified a site in Chapel Hill and we are working through the town's approval process to open in 2011.But we must raise $200,000 to make this dream come true for our children. Currently, DSI Comedy Theater in Carrboro is helping us by donating $2 of each ticket sold during July. This is a full-of-laughs way to support our vision, and Saturday performances are kid-friendly so you can the whole family!

I invite anyone interested in helping, either by donating or by serving on our board, to contact me at marywinne@yahoo.com or 967-4264. What a great privilege it would be to be a founding member of the very first Boys & Girls Club in Orange County!

Donations may be sent to Boys & Girls Clubs of Eastern Piedmont - Orange County Club, PO Box 2201, Chapel Hill, NC 27515.