Weekly Media Roundup: October 18, 2017

How Important Is Time? Upcoming Event Shines Light on After-School Program (Dothan Eagle, Alabama)

The Boys & Girls Club of Hawk-Houston is hoping to engage the Dothan community with its afterschool program by hosting its tenth annual Lights On Afterschool event next Thursday. “We want to shine a light on the importance of the afterschool program in the community,” CEO Altha Newman told the Dothan Eagle. “The program needs the support of the community for us to be able to grow it, to serve more kids and their families.” The club provides students with a safe environment between the hours of 3 and 6 p.m., a place where they can work on homework, exercise, and receive a healthy meal.

Henderson Children’s Center Draws Praise from Governor (Henderson Gleaner, Kentucky)

Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin visited the one-year-old Audubon Kids Zone last week to see the afterschool program in action. The program was founded a year ago in the poorest neighborhood of Henderson, according to the Gleaner, and aims to help students in need succeed academically and in life by building lasting relationships and supporting them in their goals. “This is a gem,” Bevin told the staff during his visit. “This should be celebrated and replicated in other communities.”

Little Free Library Has New Best Friend – Girl Scouts (Youth Today)

For the past several years, the nonprofit Little Free Library has helped bring free books to children and communities across the country, partly through a partnership with the Girl Scouts. More than 500 of the libraries that have been built were set up by Girl Scouts, according to Little Free Library program manager Margaret Aldrich. “Community service is a core value of Girl Scouting. Girl Scouts establishes a sense of learning for girls,” and they want to extend that to others, Girl Scouts of Southwest Texas chief development and communications office Stephanie Finleon Cortez told Youth Today.

Annual Lights On Afterschool Brings Law Enforcement and Kids Together (KNOP, Nebraska)

The North Platte Kids Klub at Wild Bills held its Lights On Afterschool celebration this past Friday. Youths in the program bowled and played laser tag with Lincoln County law enforcement officers, giving students the opportunity to build a positive relationship with police officers at a young age. “They help the community,” Kids Klub member Brooklyn Fries told KNOP. “They save the people who are getting hurt by bad guys.”