The Starke County Youth Club held the 7th annual Radiothon yesterday on WKVI.
Executive Director Irene Szakonyi said it was a great event.
“We had an absolutely fantastic day,” beamed Szakonyi. “This community comes through every year for our kids and so we can chalk this up to another really great day.”
Several testimonials were given by students and leaders of the club. Organizations, residents and businesses donated just over $42,000 during the six-hour event, which was the fundraising goal.
The Starke County Youth Club teaches life skills to the 600 youngsters enrolled in their after-school programs. Executive Director Irene Szakonyi says the cooking class is one of the most popular enrichment activities they offer. She says it teaches nutrition, kitchen safety and self-reliance. Even the youngest participants can learn basic terminology like what it means to dice or core. Szakonyi says youngsters learn how to prepare food and also how to make healthy food choices. She says youngsters learn that filling their bodies with sugar and other harmful things will compromise their ability to learn well and will make them feel sick.
“The cooking class is a lot of fun because kids get to eat, but they also get a lot of information that is important for their lives, Szakonyi says. Learn about the cooking class and more during tomorrow’s 7th Annual Starke County Youth Club WKVI Radiothon. It starts tomorrow at10 a.m. CDT right here on WKVI. They hope to raise $40,000. Find more information about the club on their website, http://www.thescyc.org/index.html.
The Starke County Youth Club provides more than homework help for the 600 students it serves at four after-school sites. Executive Director Irene Szakonyi says health and wellness is a critical component of the Starke County Youth Club’s mission.
“When we survey our kids about how much time they would be watching television or how much time they’d be playing on their game systems or video gaming, we know that’s significant, and it’s way more time than is healthy for them,” Szakonyi says.
She adds the Starke County Youth Club is constantly looking for ways to help the students they serve be more active. Instructors try to balance technology-based learning with physical activity, nutrition classes and life skills that help them to be healthier in all aspects. Continue reading
The Starke County Youth Club aims to be a support system for children, families and the three county school corporations.
“We know that schools are under tremendous pressure to have kids succeed academically, and that a lot of funding for schools is tied to how kids perform on standardized tests. That’s really a lot to ask of a school community. It is part of our job to ensure we are supporting what the schools need to accomplish.”
Executive Director Irene Szakonyi says the Starke County Youth Club does that by providing after school enrichment programs for 600 youngsters at four sites across the county. All of the programs are based in local schools, so Szakonyi says the staff is in constant contact with teachers, administrators and others to make sure students are getting what they need. She says children who succeed academically have a greater likelihood of being successful adults. Continue reading
Starke County Youth Club members and volunteers will take over the WKVI airwaves on Friday to raise money for the nonprofit organization. Executive Director Irene Szakonyi says they provide academic support to 600 youngsters across the county at after-school sites at Knox, North Judson-San Pierre and Oregon-Davis Elementary schools and at O-D Junior/Senior High School. They give students quiet time to do homework, offer one-on-one tutoring in a specific subject and offer a variety of enrichment programs like technology classes, videography and world travel through culture centers. Services are offered each Monday through Friday for three hours after school.
“That is the time when kids are most likely to be the victims of or perpetrators of violent crime. We know that kids who don’t have proper supervision, who don’t have great role models, who aren’t engaged in something productive, make the wrong choices in their lives. So we’re there to provide a safe, engaging and positive environment for kids once the school day ends,” Szakonyi says. Continue reading
Friday, May 2 is Starke County Youth Club Day, by proclamation of the county commissioners. That’s also the day of the club’s 7th Annual RadioThon on WKVI from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. The club offers after-school programs at Knox, North Judson-San Pierre and Oregon-Davis Elementary Schools and Oregon-Davis Junior-Senior High School each weekday as well as summer programs for local youngsters. Staff and volunteers provide homework help, enrichment activities, recreational centers and community engagement through service projects. The proclamation notes the staff and volunteers at the Starke County Youth Club are committed to assisting children in acquiring the skills they need to learn and lead. They will be taking over our airwaves on Friday to share success stories and talk about the services they provide. The nonprofit organization has set a goal of raising $40,000 during that event. Find more information at www.thescyc.org.
The Starke County Youth Club Radiothon is set for Friday, May 2 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. CT on K99.3 WKVI.
Testimonials, special guests and challenges will be featured on the air as volunteers answer the phone to take your pledges toward this worthwhile youth organization.
The SCYC provides high quality homework assistance, engaging enrichment activities, and recreational centers with adults who care. SCYC provides innovative services to children and families every day at four sites across the county during the school year and the summer.
The grant is designed to provide academic enrichment opportunities for students at after-school sites.
21st Century Community Learning Centers provide a range of high-quality services to support student learning and development, including academic enrichment, tutoring and mentoring, and homework help, as well as music, arts, sports and cultural activities.
The main source of funding for the Starke County Youth Club is in jeopardy as members of Congress continue to squabble over a federal budget for the next fiscal year. Executive Director Irene Szakonyi says the House budget proposal slashes money used to provide services for 600 youngsters in grades K-12 in Starke County.
“The threat is our largest source of funding, which is the 21st Century Community Learning Centers Program, will be eliminated, so we really are encouraging everyone to reach out to their legislators and talk to them about why children, youth in this country are important, why after school programs are important and to encourage them to keep funding for our kids and our communities,” said Szakonyi.
The students in the “Pay it Forward” camp in the middle school summer school enrichment portion will be bagging groceries for tips. Those donations will be used to purchase food for the Starke County Food Pantry.
A special ceremony was held Saturday afternoon to honor the memory of Pat Dunn.
Pat passed away on Jan. 1 of this year and the Starke County Youth Club planted a tree in his memory. He was a great supporter of the youth of the community and was reflective in his support of the Starke County Youth Club. A plaque was also donated which was placed in front of the tree by Pat’s wife, Karen. Pat had been a board member of Kankakee Valley Broadcasting, Inc. and served as the General Manager of the station from 2009 until his death. He was always a driving force here at the station and continues to be in the staff’s thoughts as the work days go by.
Many of Pat’s family were in attendance at the ceremony as well as many of the staff and board members at WKVI.
The tree was planted in the front yard at WKVI.
The Starke County Youth Club Radiothon on K99.3 WKVI will be held Friday, May 3 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. CT.
Members of the youth club will on the radio live asking you to help support the organization that assists 600 children at the Knox, Oregon-Davis and North Judson-San Pierre schools in Starke County. The youth club provides a safe environment for your child after school and maintains dozens of academic enrichment centers. Tutoring and homework help is offered which means success for your child.
The Starke County Youth Club is the recipient of a generous donation from 1st Source Bank.
1st Source Bank donated $5,000 toward the organization and Judy Caudill, Manager of the 1st Source Banking Center in Knox, recognized that the Starke County Youth Club has a positive impact on the lives of so many children that she was pleased to make the donation in continuing that effort.
An all-day conference of the Leadership Starke County organization will take place today at the North Judson-San Pierre School Corporation from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The 12 members on the committee will be discussing education, future direction, funding and holding several panel discussions on the different topics.
The Starke County Youth Club proudly announced last week the 2013 season of its youth basketball program. All Starke County students in grades K–4 are eligible to join.
Registration for the 2013 season is $25 for SCYC members and $35 for non-members, and multi-student discounts are available with more information available at thescyc.org.
