Celebrate National Boys & Girls Club Week With Us By Opening the Door & Taking the Tour April 7-13th

When we lived in Ellijay, the Boys & Girls Club was just down the street from us and we donated to them each year. They did so much for our community and children that I was so excited when invited to attend the Brookhaven Boys & Girls Club Live Event with Mom Central! When I was a child, I remember doing trash pick-up on our local roads with the BGCA and I wanted to see what it was like these days. I was amazed at this wonderful facility, which was full of life and happiness. Some of the kids played sports in the gym with friends while others preferred playing pool or making arts and crafts. With hundreds of children there on a daily basis, the director, volunteers and workers definitely have their hands full!

Mom Central, bloggers & Brookhaven Boys & Girls Club director and workers.

After meeting some other local bloggers as well as some of my favorite Mom Central ladies, we had the opportunity to tour the entire facility. First we went into a reading room where things were a bit quieter. Children could read, do homework and have a quiet place to relax. Josiah did a riddle worksheet and had to guess the rhyming answers. He loved it so much that he made me bring it home to do again later. The teacher worked with him and helped him write his answers.

Then, we entered the art room, which was my favorite. Decorated from ceiling to floor, the art room was full of color, imagination and just plain fun.

I loved the ceiling tiles, each showing a different piece of artwork by the Boys & Girls Clubs members.

After going to the art room, we entered the activities area, a place where no quiet can be found. Instead, one can find laughter, fun and games! The room held several pool tables and was a popular hangout for the older kids. We took a moment to play a ball game with some of the other kids and my son, Josiah, had a blast. We bent over, guarding the area between our legs while others tried to get the ball through the space. The kicker? We can only use one hand when touching the ball. It's harder than you think, but was so much fun for all! Josiah was immediately asking if we could play that game at home.

The boys didn't want to leave... until they saw the huge playground outside. After our tour, all of the other bloggers, kids in tow, gravitated towards the playground for more playtime. I ended up going down the slide with Liam and running around like a little kid, too. We had such a great time that I was actually sad to leave. I can tell Brookhaven is an amazing resource for kids and community. This made me, more than ever, want to support our local Boys & Girls Clubs and I think you should, too!

With that said, April 7th through April 13th is National Boys & Girls Club, a week full of exciting events for kids and community members. Just as the Brookhaven Boys & Girls Club opened their doors for us to visit, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta are launching the "75 Blue Doors" Project to help celebrate the 75th anniversary! This shows how local clubs are "opening doors" for youth in and around the Atlanta area. Check out the website for more information and look at all the Blue Door submissions for the contest! It ends on April 13th, so vote today!

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Be sure to find a Boys & Girls Club in your area by clicking here! Even if you can't take a physical tour like we did, you can take a virtual tour! Click on "Take the Tour", watch the video and you can also enter for a chance to win one of two $500 from Lowe's of JCPenney!

Did you go to a Boys & Girls Club when you were little or do your children go now? Do you support your local BGCA?

www.momcentralconsulting.com, at the bottom of your posts:

I wrote this review while participating in a campaign for MomCentral Consulting on behalf of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. I attended an information session and received a gift bag and promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.