Case for Support Draft Adventure Club Six-year-old Katie gathers with three of her friends around a basket

of dolls and doll clothing. They are about to begin a game of house after finishing their spelling homework with an Adventure Club group leader. Three days a week, Katie rides the bus from West Park Elementary to Russell Elementary to attend the Adventure Club. She checks in with a group leader and gets ready for her afternoon snack by washing her hands. After a half an hour or more of homework help, she gets to choose from a number of fun activities. On the days of the week that Katie doesnt attend Adventure Club, she walks home with her 6th grade sister where they wait alone until their mother arrives home from work. The Organization The Adventure Club, which was founded over two decades ago, is a self-supporting, notfor-profit afterschool and summer program for elementary school children located in Moscow, Idaho. The program runs at Lena Whitmore, McDonald, and Russell elementary schools, and provides students with an opportunity for homework assistance in addition to educational activities and field trips. Mission Statement The Adventure Club strives to provide a supervised environment that promotes the intellectual, physical and social development of children. History In 1992 the Adventure Club was founded by a group of local families who wanted a safe environment at which their children could spend time after school. Community members Jena and Jill Malm have been site supervisors since the programs inception, and in 2002 David Garnett was hired as director. Programs and Staffing Open to children ages kindergarten through sixth grade, the Adventure Club hosts four different programs: after school days, full-days, half-days and field trips. Different activities occur at each location, but all children complete homework and are encouraged to participate in the activities provided by special guests. Past educational contributors include the University of Idahos Chemistry Club and volunteers from the Palouse Discovery Science Center. In order to maintain enrollment, activities are generated with the childrens desires in mind. Unique experiences are therefore created through a balance of academics, arts and recreation. After school programs run from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m., Monday through Friday and children are provided with one snack. A half-day of supervision covers days when enrollment totals less than five hours. Full-day care is offered at one location during teacher-in service days, and weekdays during winter and spring breaks, and summer vacation. The summer program costs an additional $50 per child, and families are encouraged to purchase pool passes from the Hamilton-Lowe Aquatic Center. Students are

accompanied to this local pool in the afternoons after lunchtime. A typical summer day within the program begins at 7:00 a.m. and ends at 6:00 p.m. Children have the opportunity to complete activities both in the morning and afternoon, and sometimes get to take special field trips like to Palouse Empire Gymnastics, Zeppoz or the University of Idahos Climbing Center. Although families are asked to send a lunch with their children, two additional snacks are provided each day. There are three site supervisors who oversee the program at each elementary school. Beneath these supervisors are group leaders and University of Idaho undergraduate students working for academic credit or service learning hours. A few volunteers and local high school students also help during the various programs. The Problem: -KAYLA What is the problem that the organization is addressing? In the state of Idaho, 29% of K-12 youth are responsible for taking care of themselves after school*. Thats 78, 625 children left unsupervised between the end of the school day and when their parents get home from work. What are the specific needs of the people/communities you serve? Adventure Club not only provides children a safe alternative to being home alone, it helps improve students academic performance by providing additional help on school work and enriching experience. The program also provides social interaction and reinforces a positive academic environment which increases school attendance, behavior, and health, all while supporting working families in the Moscow community. By being part of an environment that is interactive and, the program not only supports their academic career but also helps to decrease the likelihood that students will engage in risky behaviors. All of these positive behaviors can add up to big impacts in a students success rate throughout their educational career. Statement of community problem The Solution: -KAYLA What is Adventure Club doing about the problem? How effective is the organization in addressing the problem? What impact are they making? Are they being successful? Adventure Club values the interests of the children within their program. Many of the activities are chosen through student interests and desires in order to create meaningful and engaging learning opportunities. A balance of recreation, arts, academics, and mentoring are achieved primarily through experience. The Adventure Club is unique as a highly supervised program that operates during about 265 days per year. Other local programs in the Moscow area do not provide the same level of highly supervised after school programs. The staff consists of individuals who are caring, nurturing, and energetic. Volunteers from the University of Idaho and local Moscow organizations also provide assistance in create activities and providing stimulating experiences for students.

Currently 17% of the school age children in the Moscow community attend adventure club on any given school day. With increased funding, Adventure Club would be able to provide more scholarships to children whose families cannot afford the tuition required to maintain the program. This would provide additional educational opportunities to children from low income families as well as lessen the burden on their working parents.

The Appeal: How will donors be supporting Adventure Club? By giving to Adventure Club, the donors funds will be supporting the increase of academic opportunities for the children involved in its program, and support for those who may not be able to participate due to their family income. Adventure Club Needs The majority of the money Adventure Club receives is from student tuition and a small amount of money is obtained through grants. Currently Adventure Club has had a level of difficulty maintaining activities such as field trips because of the increasing prices of gasoline and bus fees. They are only able to afford one fifth of the field trips that have previously taken due to these costs.The prices of supplies and snacks have also risen, leaving Adventure Club in need of funding. Another area where a lack of funds has led to a problem for Adventure Club is with scholarship opportunities. It is a goal of Adventure Club to be able to provide more scholarship opportunities for children from low income families so that they may participate regardless of their family income. Adventure Club uses the elementary schools as facilities and the school district office for office space. The facility is already provided but some of its supplies are lacking in terms of their quality. They have mats on floor for the children to sit on while they read, but they look neither comfortable nor supportive. Although the room they use is also the schools cafeteria, it does not appear very child friendly. Distribution of Funds The funds raised will be used to fund field trips, guest speakers, and provide scholarship opportunities for children from low income families. The funds will also be used for supplies that allow children to do certain activities while at Adventure Club. The supplies such as markers, crayons, and rulers run slim at Adventure Club, so buying more of these would be a beneficial way to spend the money. Jena Malm, a site supervisor at Russell Elementary suggested that the program could benefit from having somebody come in and speak to the children once a week and do hands on activities.This could serve as an alternative to field trips that would take up a majority of the three hours the children get to spend at Adventure Club. Funding Adventure Club will give donors the chance to provide children with a fun, safe, and education based environment to attend after school instead of being home alone. Donors will also benefit in knowing that they are providing this opportunity to children who would otherwise not have enough money to attend. In addition, donors would be

able to provide learning opportunities through hands on field trips that cannot be replicated in a classroom. How will the funds specifically benefit those you serve? And the community? The funds will benefit the community because more children can be at Adventure Club in a safe environment where they can learn as opposed to being home alone or with slightly older siblings where parents may worry for their childs safety. The funds will also help children create the memories at Adventure Club that they will remember for years to come.