Sheri Samson
Boys & Girls Club youth thanked Matt Goodrich, center, for his donation to the facility recently.

 

New basketballs are bouncing at the Boys & Girls Club as well as other new equipment thanks to a personal donation recently made by Matt Goodrich, who kindly stopped by with an armful of new stuff. A foosball set and Goodrich’s goodwill provided a needed bike pump, so that all the balls were refilled by him. This made for a happy crew of kids, as everyone crowded around to assist him in each task.

Director Brooke Sasser was on hand as the children made Goodrich a giant thank you card. Goodrich felt like one of the kids, as they gathered around to thank him.

“It was so heartwarming just to have him stop by with things that surprised us all. I don’t know how he exactly knew what some of our needs were, but he brought just the right things to get our kids excited,” Sasser shared.

This week also brought the club 720 boiled eggs which had to be colored in time for the great Easter Egg Hunt held at Lion’s Park last Saturday. Sasser explained that she incorporated over 30 kids in the egg coloring project, which they all enjoyed tremendously. With donated eggs coming from Cassie Dore from Mr. Beane’s and Buck Hall from Barley’s, these eggs were carefully brought over in an effort they tagged, “Helping to Hide”. Christina Boyles, the newly hired county parks and recreation director, was also included in the task of coordinating this huge undertaking, while enjoying a few moments of coloring eggs herself.

Sasser stated that Goodrich mentioned coming back again, which is exactly the hope she had shared, as her vision to bring volunteerism together remains at the top of her planning sheet.

On Saturday, April 28, a “Club Cleanup Morning” is planned. It will require many volunteers to come out, armed with gardening tools. As the task at-hand will be to clean up the outside yard, located in the fenced area behind the Armory building, local organizations and agencies are encouraged to join in the fun, as refreshments will be served.

This location is perfect for outside play, but it’s currently loaded with overgrown weeds from years of neglect. Cement walkways and a basketball court need to be uncovered again, as well as anyone with the talent of creating special seating for the kids as they need to experience the great outdoors. Sasser is hoping to locate donations of the base’s wood, then locate a woodworker who could donate their time in creating some safe, outdoor seating.

The University of Reno Cooperative Extension group, located in Hawthorne, also looked at the mismanaged turf, as they have gardening programs such as Veggies for Kids which could benefit from the creation of a garden area within a corner of the Armory yard. Other ideas will include placing rocks into peace-making areas, Earth Day celebrations and Arbor Day teachings. Outside events are being scheduled and actively created, as this cleanup day emerges very soon.

As summer break soon approaches, between June 4 through Aug. 20, the club will be a center focus for daily events and daytime fun for local children. Because of this, the club is hosting “Club Week” April 9 – 13, with a Monday kickoff which introduces the Boys and Girls Club activities and allows tours of the facility, along with signups. Tuesday will focus on a Career Day, with guests sharing their community jobs. Wednesday the club kids will be making greeting cards for local people which they will be thanking, as many efforts go unnoticed. Thursday is celebrating staff, as all staff members will be arriving in super hero costumes and games will be played which plot the kids against the staff. Friday will complete the week with an open house day, allowing community people to come in and familiarize themselves with what the Boys & Girls Club is about.

The local Mineral County Boys and Girls Club of Mason Valley is located at 525 9th Street at Armory Drive. Contact their office by calling 775-945-2428 for further information.

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