Montevallo future home of county’s first Boys and Girls Club

Published 4:43 pm Tuesday, April 14, 2009

The city of Montevallo will be home to Shelby County’s first Boys and Girls Club.

The club will be located in the Orr Park Recreation Center, said Mayor Ben McCrory. The Boys and Girls Clubs of Central Alabama approved the Montevallo location last month.

McCrory said the club will open this summer to serve approximately 50 children ages 7-12. The summer program will be held from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. June 1 through Aug. 12. Registration is $125.

Parents can register their children April 25 from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Parnell Memorial Library. A second registration date is set for May 2 from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the library.

The recreation center will undergo a few alterations before the club opens, McCrory said. The city plans to build a new facility after economic conditions improve.

McCrory said the club is a welcome addition to the Montevallo community, especially among the city’s youth.

“We have a few summer programs, but nothing like what the Boys and Girls Club offers,” McCrory said. “It’s been proven time after time that Boys and Girls Clubs are a deterrent from crime. They teach them discipline, they tutor them and they give them some place to go. We’re excited about it.”

The Montevallo location will be the ninth unit for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Central Alabama.