BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF THE TENNESSEE VALLEY OPENS CARTER CLUB, HIRES FACILITY DIRECTOR

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Aug. 1, 2014

For more information,
Contact: Natalie Lester
Moxley Carmichael
(865) 544-0088

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Children in the Carter community have been enjoying summer break, but the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Tennessee Valley has been hard at work transforming an old school into a new club.

Dr. Lisa Hurst, president and CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Tennessee Valley, and community leaders cut the ribbon to open the Carter Club on July 31. The free, community-wide event was a festive atmosphere where children and families celebrated with Buddy’s Bar-B-Q and music from the Chillbillies. Local food trucks were also on site to cater dinner and dessert.

“We’re so excited to bring our services to the Carter community,” Hurst said. “Being on the same campus as Carter Middle and Carter High schools and less than a mile from Carter Elementary allows all students easy access to our nationally recognized programs and caring staff.”

The Carter Club is located on the site of the old Carter Elementary School. It will be open 2-7 p.m. during the school year and 7:30 a.m.-6 p.m. in the summer, on school in-service days and some holidays. The club features an outdoor play area with soccer and baseball fields, indoor game room, iPad technology lab and quiet places for reading, homework help and tutoring.

Sydney Squire will serve as facility director for the Carter Club.

Growing up in a U.S. Army family, Squire lived many places as a child. She moved to Knoxville almost 10 years ago to attend the University of Tennessee, where she graduated summa cum laude from the College of Communication & Information.

After college, Squire joined the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Tennessee Valley as a part-time lifeguard at the Haslam Club. Within a year she was promoted to full-time as the health & life skills coordinator because of her success in developing and implementing an aquatics program that taught lifesaving skills to more than 300 at-risk youth. In her new role, Squire wrote grants and managed grant-funded programs that related to health and life skills.

One of Squire’s proudest moments was sending a club member to the 2012 London Olympics, where he got to watch Michael Phelps win gold in his final Olympic race. The club member also received the first-ever “Confidence Award” from Phelps.

“It really illuminated the amazing opportunities that the Boys & Girls Clubs provides members. I can’t imagine having this opportunity anywhere else,” Squire said.

In 2013, Sydney fulfilled her lifelong dream of living in Japan. She recently returned to Knoxville after a year of teaching English to children. She is excited to rejoin the Boys & Girls Clubs organization as the Carter Club opens.

The Carter Club currently is accepting enrollment for the Carter Club. Tuition is $50 per week for full-time and $36 for part-time attendance during the school year. To learn more, visit www.bgctnv.org/carter or call 865-232-1262.

About the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Tennessee Valley

The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Tennessee Valley began providing opportunities for youth in Knoxville in 1943 and has now grown into a four-county service area. Seventeen facilities exist in Knox, Blount, Loudon and North Anderson counties of the Tennessee Valley, and the clubs employ over 260 full-time and part-time staff members. Through the Boys & Girls Clubs, young people are shown that someone cares, and there are concerned and capable adults to whom they can turn for assistance. More than 6,300 boys and girls take advantage of the programs, activities and services provided by the clubs. They benefit from trained and caring staff and volunteers who help young people take control of their lives, envision productive futures and reach their goals.