(Victoria, Texas) – Boys and Girls Club of Victoria is set to receive the generous funds raised through the All Pro Tour’s Mac Haik and Lincoln Victoria Pro-Am. Gina Kocurek and Crystal Saucedo stood in attendance for the organization and gave some insight on the impact of the tournament on the children in their program.
“We focus on introducing these children to new experiences,” said Gina Kocurek, youth counselor at Boys and Girls Club of Victoria. “They go to golf camps, swimming pools, horse ranches, museums, and participate in fine arts. We try to give them a good understanding of what the world has to offer.”
So how do they do it? The community funds them, so in turn they give back to the community by teaching children acts of service in addition to having fun. The goal is to instill community involvement at all ages by experiencing new adventures and enjoying fruits of your labor through occasional volunteer service.
Kocurek told a story of one of Victoria’s participants who fell in love with the game of golf at the age of ten. Boys and Girls Club of Victoria partnered with the Monarch Club last year to bring their members to the golf course and teach them some basics of the sport. For many young boys and girls of all ages and backgrounds, it was their first time at a golf facility.
“Life doesn’t have to be what they see on a regular basis,” said Kocurek. “There is life outside of Victoria and many haven’t had the opportunity to see other places.”
Boys and Girls Club is home to after-school programs and summer camps for any local child. If a parent is unable to fund their child, they can apply for financial aid through local sponsors to offset the price of membership and monthly dues. These funds are used to buy new equipment, fund adventures and provide tutoring for their academics.
Crystal Saucedo, assistant secretary of Boys and Girls Club of Victoria, explained the logistics of membership and allocation of funds.
“For many of these children, a large majority are underprivileged, some are without housing and have family imbalances,” said Saucedo. For only $25 a year for an annual membership, any child between the ages of six and eighteen can attend as many functions as they would like for an additional flat rate of $25 a month.”
The impact is real. Many kids that go through the club have been so impacted that they come back to volunteer when they are of age and even apply for employment through work study in college. They ultimately act as role models who plant smiles on the children’s faces. It shows that opportunities are endless and their current circumstance is not the end result for some of the underprivileged children in the program.
To learn more about Boys and Girls Club of Victoria please visit their website for more information. Donations are always welcomed and endlessly appreciated by over four million children each year.