Mack donates to Kilgore Boys & Girls Club

East Texas Mack in Longview has offered to match donations raised by Kilgore Boys & Girls Club board members.

The Mack truck dealership will donate $500 for every $3,000 raised by Kilgore club council members through May 31, said Joseph Stiewe, executive director of the Boys & Girls Club of Gregg County.

Bill Bankston, president of East Texas Mack and a member of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Gregg County council, will donate up to $5,000 if the Kilgore group raises $30,000, Stiewe said.

Last year Kilgore's Boys & Girls Club served about 450 children.

"On any given day, we have about 80 to 100 kids at the Kilgore club," Stiewe said.

Parents pay a $10 fee per child during the school year and $50 per child during the summer for their kids to participate in the program.

"That averages, during the school year, to about 30 cents a day and during the summer that's about $1 a day," Stiewe said.

The Kilgore Boys & Girls Club — like 4,500 other clubs located in the U.S. and across the world, including U.S. military bases — is a private, nonprofit organization supported by the generosity of local people and businesses, Stiewe said.

"The club costs about $150,000 a year to run — that's about $250 per child. Our membership dues amount to about $20,000, so a large portion must be raised through the generosi- ty of Kilgore," Stiewe said.

The Kilgore council is also planning a gala fundraiser for October, with more fundraisers in the works for next year.

Local council officers are: Ronnie Spradlin, president; Pam DeCeault, vice president; Laura McKethan, secretary/treasurer. Council members are Kristy Boyd, Lani Clark, Jody Clements, Wendy Crim, Jeff Davis, Lisa Denton, Mark Dickey, Bryan Johnston, Tamara Mankins, Carolyn Martin, Travis Martin, Johnnie McCrory, Billie Mims, Bill Mishkind, Dan Phillips, Ty Sharp, Latane Speer and Julie Woods.

Activities at the Kilgore club include a game room, sports and athletics, homework assistance, tutoring, arts and crafts. The Kilgore club also offers the Smart Moves program, which consists of small groups for drug, alcohol and teen pregnancy resistance, and leadership clubs such as the Torch Club and Adventure Club.

Stiewe explained the Torch Club is a service club, democratically operated, that performs community service projects to raise money, which allows them to vote on how the money is used in the club or community. The Adventure Club is similar, but for youngsters ages 6 to 9.

The Kilgore Boys & Girls Club is open after school until 8 p.m. Monday through Friday during the school year. During the summer and on school holidays, the club's hours are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

All of Kilgore's schools have busses that take participants to the club during the school year.

Presently the Kilgore club offers activities for children ages 6 to 15, but next school year it will include 16-year-olds, as well.

Stiewe said the age limit will continue to rise each year until it reaches 18 years.