Big summer expected at Boys & Girls Club

BELLA VISTA — A week after school ended in May, the Benton County Boys & Girls Club got busy.

The Bella Vista Unit, on Forest Hills Drive, has over 100 children between the ages of 6 and 14 signed up for its summer program and a waiting list.

Director David Nicholson explained that while the building can hold more participants, they are limited by staff. He’s looking to hire more summer help. It’s a great job for college or high school students, he said.

The kids spend their day moving between activities in the gym, the game room or the technology center. Fridays are for field trips, and they plan to visit a local movie theater, the Scott Family Amazeum and Lokomotion throughout the summer. The last week of the summer term is always “water week” with slip and slides and water balloons available.

The club serves breakfast, lunch and one snack. Although there is a small kitchen at the unit, meals are usually prepackaged. Some foods are microwaved and, on occasion, hot dogs and burgers are grilled outside.

About half of the summer participants are also part of the after-school program, he said. Most of them attend a Bella Vista school, but there are also many Gravette students. There are also some young participants who haven’t started school yet, but have already turned 6.

Because the Bella Vista Unit is located very close to one of the region’s mountain bike trails, riding mountain bikes is one of the summer activities the kids enjoy, Nicholson said. With the help of Pedal it Forward, a local nonprofit organization, the program owns a fleet of mountain bikes and helmets.

“Kids love the mountain bike trails,” Nicholson said. The routes they use vary depending on the age of the riders. Some older riders may go out with a staff member and ride for miles. The younger kids tend to go much shorter distances out and back to the unit.

There are a few volunteers that help out, Nicholson said. During the school year, there are volunteers that read with the children. In the past, they had a partnership with Bella Vista’s pickleball players who used the gym during the school year and taught pickleball in return. With the plan to close Riordan Hall for renovations this fall, the line dance group currently meeting there may arrive at a similar arrangement, he said.

For the summer program, Nicholson said he is happy to accept donations of all kinds of sports equipment. Small items like soccer balls don’t last very long with the daily use they get at the club. He’s also happy to receive craft supplies.

“Arts and crafts are always a big thing,” he said.

(Submitted Photo) While they have access to a game room, a technology room and a gym, playing outside is still a popular pastime for the kids who spend their summer at the Boys & Girls Club.