City helps tide over Boys & Girls Club

Emergency funding from the city of Charleston allowed the Boys & Girls Club to reopen it downtown Shaw Unit today, and the $5,000 grant should keep the center and its after-school programs running until Jan. 1.

After that, "unless we get some community support, it will close," said Lanneau Siegling, executive director of the Boys & Girls Club of the Trident Area.

The tri-county organization had closed its seven locations on Friday and furloughed 38 employees due to state budget cuts, which eliminated $100,000 in funding for the Trident Area clubs.

"The decision to close early and not to pay our employees over the holidays was extremely difficult, but it was deemed necessary because we simply could not afford to keep the doors open," said board chairman Robert Brunson.

This evening the Shaw Unit, on Mary Street in Charleston's East Side, is holding a community vigil until 8:45 p.m. to encourage private donations.

"During the holidays when school is out and parents are at work, the programs are even more critical," said Charleston Mayor Joe Riley.

The Trident Area clubs were serving about 600 children ages 6 to 18 at school locations, the Shaw Unit, and a club facility on Royall Avenue in Mt. Pleasant. All but the Shaw Unit remained closed today, though Siegling said volunteers went to the Mt. Pleasant location to supervise youths playing basketball outdoors.

The Boys & Girls Club's web site is www.bgclubta.org, and the phone number is 843-577-5545. Those interested in financially supporting the organization can send donations to: P.O. Box 20879, Charleston, SC 29413.

Read more in Tuesday's editions of The Post and Courier.