Kids' Klub Annual Report
2002
Overview

Kids' Klub has seen many changes in the past year. However, the program continues to hold true to the mission statement of Kids' Klub to provide a safe and nurturing environment for the children of our community.

Staff

Staff changes had the largest effect this past year. After a year and a half, Rachel Hepburn resigned as Executive Director to move on to other opportunities. She did an excellent job writing grants for programming and organizing the board. Diane Mitchell was the interim Executive Director and Reverend Britt Olson pitched in her efforts as well until Maureen McBride was hired in November. Ms. McBride brings years of experience working with children's programs and writing grants for nonprofits.

Beth Stambaugh finished the 2001-2002 school year with Kids' Klub as the Activities Director and has moved on to other opportunities as she pursues her degree at University of Nevada, Reno. Jenn Donald was promoted from Assistant Coordinator to Activities Director in September and has been doing a superb job. She has an excellent rapport with staff, volunteers and the children.

Ms. Sunny Olson was brought in to fill the position of Assistant Coordinator. She is pursuing a degree in education at the University of Nevada, Reno. Both Ms. Donald and Ms. Olson are members of St. Paul's.

Volunteers

The support of volunteers has been crucial to the success of Kids' Klub; however, volunteer numbers are low, averaging only 1.5 per day when the ideal number of volunteers would be between three or four daily.

Program Development

The average daily attendance during the 2002 year has been thirty-three (33) children. Over one hundred (100) children are registered for the program, and attendance has soared above 50 on certain occasions.

VSA ARTS of Reno continued to provide classes for Kids' Klub: Thursdays a special arts class; and on Fridays a dance and movement class. The children enjoy both classes and look forward to the special activities. Additional activities or classes will be sought to be added during the 2003-2004 school year.

The Sparks Public Library continues to support our commitment to the children. Each Tuesday, a member of the library staff hosts a story time for the Kids' Klub children. The newest books are typically read to the children and have piqued their interest in many subjects.

The staff of Kids' Klub and volunteers provided terrific Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners. Volunteers, Irene and Beth Stambaugh, tirelessly worked to prepare a traditional turkey dinner for Thanksgiving. Ms. McBride and Kitchen Manager, Phyllis Hasner, prepared a traditional ham dinner for Christmas. The second year of the Kids' Klub "Gift Shop" was extremely successful due to the generous donations of St. Paul's members. Children earned tickets to "purchase" gifts for their parents, siblings, friends and sometimes a little something for themselves. Christmas stockings were also handed out to the children. Many hugs and thank you's were distributed during the final week of the program in December; many of those thanks belong to the members of St. Paul's.

This year we added a martial arts program. Initially, Aikido was the discipline; however, the sensei was not used to working with such a diverse group of kids. So, starting in January of 2003 Jujitsu will be offered through the Bushidokan studio, by their youth instructor, Suki LaGue. This program is being paid for through two grants from E.L. Cord Foundation and Nevada Women's Fund.

Also new this year is our academic incentive program. We are offering the children rewards/incentives for improvement in their school grades and for participating at the homework assistance table. In addition, a reading club is planned to encourage literacy skills. This program is also paid for by the E.L. Cord Foundation and Nevada Women's Fund.

Funding and Grants

Our second annual Taco Fiesta was held in April 2002 and has now become a community event. Sergio Cortes, local chef and parent of one of our after school children, prepared authentic Hispanic cuisine, including their now famous tamales. A small raffle was held to help increase profits. The second annual Taco Fiesta generated over $6,815.80, including $3,407.90 in matching funds from St. Paul's.

Many grants were written to benefit Kids' Klub. Some requests that were expected to be funded were not, while other grants were awarded unexpectedly. Attached is a list of grants received.

Advisory Board

The growth and development of a Kids' Klub Advisory Board has been a significant source of resources for Kids' Klub since its inception in the summer of 2001. Meetings are held monthly, excluding June and July to discuss strategic initiatives to improve the quality of services provided and to insure funding opportunities.

Future Vision

Kids' Klub has grown significantly since January of 1999 when the doors opened to two (2) children. Now, with an average daily attendance of thirty-three (33) and a competing after school program at Robert Mitchell, the growth and direction of Kids' Klub is changing. Expansion of the program to include extended operating hours on early release days and a summer and holiday programs are the areas where the growth of Kids' Klub will most effectively benefit the children and the community.

In addition, special programs designed specifically for the teens (typically middle school students) attending Kids' Klub is crucial to maintaining a program that offers activities that engage these youth.

The development of a playground is in the planning stages, and the application for Kids' Klub's 501(c)3 status is under way.

Conclusion

Kids' Klub is continuing to fulfill its initial mission, and along the way has grown significantly. Now, as we look toward the future, Kids' Klub has many opportunities to continue providing services and to expand to meet the gaps for the children in our community.

Respectfully submitted,


Maureen McBride
Executive Director
January 2, 2003