Boys & Girls Clubs seeks community feedback to bring the organization to Denton County

The organization will host its first meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday, May 24, at Westside Baptist Church, 900 Bellaire Blvd. in Lewisville.

Daphne Barlow Stigliano, CEO and president of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Tarrant County, said she has been working for over a year to bring the program to the area.

Stigliano said Denton County is one of the largest counties in the U.S. without a local chapter.

“We’re now at the stage of wanting to get community feedback,” Stigliano said. “We want to hear from parents and grandparents and really have a deeper understanding of what some of the needs are directly from the families that we would likely be serving.”

Boys & Girls Clubs of America is a national organization of local chapters that provide voluntary after-school programs for youths.

The organization is asking Lewisville, Flower Mound, Highland Village and Carrollton families to attend Tuesday’s meeting so they can understand how everyone would benefit from its involvement in the community.

The meeting will include hands-on activities for kids such as a truck with STEM activities and more. Parents will have the chance to meet fully trained staff for further questions about the organization.

Stigliano said it’s important for the community to have the organization because it provides resources and support for young people outside of school.

“A lot of schools need additional help from organizations like ours,” Stigliano said. “The Boys & Girls Club is very effective at helping young people get that support during out-of-school-time hours and in the summertime.”

There will be an additional five meetings throughout the summer with dates and times to be determined.