WKVI listeners will once again have the chance to support fun and educational programs for local children. The Starke County Youth Club’s annual radiothon is this Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. “The Starke County Youth Club is a youth development agency supporting children and families with after-school, summer, and recreational programs,” explains Executive Director Irene Szakonyi. “So that means we have programs all across the county during the after-school hours and across the summer, where we provide personal and academic support to kids and their families.”
Starke County Youth Club Radiothon Set for May 4
The Starke County Youth Club’s annual radiothon is less than a month a way. It’s a chance for residents to help the organization continue to provide its after-school, summer, and recreational programs across the county. “We’re usually there after school for three hours, making sure kids have a safe place to be, making sure they get help with their homework and their academic needs,” says Executive Director Irene Szakonyi, “and then expanding on that, so kids get exposure to other cultures. They learn about technology and robotics, and maybe they’re even learning to cook and having a workforce readiness or life skill.” Continue reading
Starke County Youth Club Prepares for Annual Radiothon
Starke County Youth Club volunteers, staff, students and alumni will take over the WKVI airwaves today for their annual radiothon fundraiser. All of the money stays in the community to pay for after school programs for students at Knox, North Judson-San Pierre and Oregon-Davis. Continue reading
Starke County Youth Club Embraces Opportunities
The Starke County Youth Club has been teaching life skills to local youngsters for the past 15 years, according to Executive Director Irene Szakonyi.
“Kids today deserve our respect and our time, but they have to be given the opportunity to learn the right choice for them and to learn the consequences if they don’t make the right choice. Having that network and that structure gives kids practice at being good people. Continue reading
Starke County Youth Club Plans for Annual Radiothon
WKVI will once again be hosting a Radiothon to help the Starke County Youth Club raise money for its enrichment programs for local children. Continue reading
Starke County Youth Club Summer Enrichment Focuses on STEM
Youngsters who take part in this year’s Starke County Youth Club summer enrichment programs will get to put lessons in science, technology, engineering and math skills to use. Executive Director Irene Szakonyi says they provide critical thinking skills.
“They need to be able to problem solve in order to be successful, healthy adults. They need to be able to attack a problem, design a solution and not get intimidated if the solution doesn’t work. They need to have some grit to them that enables you to keep going. When at first you don’t succeed, they try and try again and finally succeed. That’s amazing,” Szakonyi said. Continue reading
Starke County Youth Club Programs Help Bridge Achievement Gap
The Starke County Youth Club’s after-school programs help bridge the achievement gap for students. Executive director Irene Szakonyi says that’s disparity in performance levels among groups of youngsters. Research indicates children who come from low-income homes don’t perform as well on standardized tests as their more affluent classmates, nor do they get as good of grades. Szakonyi says 60 percent of children served come from low-income homes and start kindergarten behind their peers as a result. Continue reading
Starke County Youth Club Programs Benefit Children and Parents
The Starke County Youth Club’s after-school programs offered at sites around the county benefit more than just the students who take part in them. Executive Director Irene Szakonyi says they serve as a bridge between school and home for youngsters, for whom the most critical hours of the day are between 3 and 6 p.m. School is out, but parents aren’t home from work yet. Szakonyi says that’s the most common time for a child to be the victim of or the perpetrator of a violent crime. Continue reading
Starke County Youth Club Radiothon Set for Friday
Mark your calendars, and get your checkbooks ready. The 8th Annual Starke County Youth Club Radiothon on WKVI will take place this Friday. Executive Director Irene Szakonyi says the organization has been serving youngsters with after-school, summer and recreational programs since 2001.
“It really is a wide variety of activities and projects to meet kids where they are, keep them learning, support working families and build community,” Szakonyi said. Continue reading
7th Annual Starke County Youth Club WKVI Radiothon Begins Today
Starke County Youth Club participants, volunteers, members and community leaders will take over the WKVI airwaves today to share information about and raise money for the nonprofit organization. The club provides enrichment programs for local youngsters. Executive Director Irene Szakonyi says they are tied to the state’s curriculum standards. and lesson plans accompany every activity. They stress Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, STEM for short, activities in a outside-the-box type of way.
“It’s everything from science experiments like you might remember from middle school, to teaching kids, even young ones, what engineering is about. How do you engineer a bridge? What kind of materials can you use? What’s stronger, this material or that material? All of those skills help prepare the next workforce.”
Szakonyi says careers in STEM fields are the wave of the future and adds its an exciting time to be teaching youngsters about math and science concepts. Continue reading
