AAUW visits Cedar Mountain Boys & Girls Club

The Hot Springs/Hot Springs Village branch of American Association of University Women (AAUW) recently had the opportunity to visit the Cedar Mountain Boys & Girls
Club to learn about programs offered and challenges faced.

Director Susan Clark related the history of the club, which ran out of funds a few years
ago and was revived by its merger with the Boys & Girls Club of Saline County. The
property was sold to the Jessieville and Fountain Lake School Districts, and the Club
rents from them.

The Club receives one grant, but all other funds come from individuals and
organizations in the area, primarily from Hot Spring Village. Clark quipped, “You know
the saying, ‘It takes a village.’ Well, it takes THAT Village!”

The Boys &Girls Club offers after-school and summer programs for youth aged six to
18, and the days are jam-packed with activities.

The after-school program runs from 3:30 to 6 p.m., and four staff members (including
two Jessieville students) are “on the floor” the entire time. All activities are optional, and
students can choose from music, arts and crafts, STEM-related programs, homework
sessions, educational computer programs, etc. Meals are served every day through a
partnership with Equal Heart – last year 23,000 meals were served.

The summer program – as Clark says, “the only game in town” – had 173 regular
participants last year, with 593 in sports activities. Field trips, community service
activities and sports are big draws for the program.

In November 2017 the Club took over Simply Kids, a licensed daycare center for kids
six weeks to six years old, and currently cares for more than 70 children.

AAUW members continued the program with lunch at Home Plate with Keanna Peck, a
2018 AAUW scholarship recipient. Peck is currently researching the Boys & Girls Clubs
in Hot Springs and Arkadelphia, both of which have closed, to determine the impact on
children and families in the region. Peck shared her personal story of attending Boys &
Girls Clubs on military bases throughout her school years.

For more information on the local AAUW branch, visit .