Boys & Girls Club helping out LTUSD by sharing their space; Asks community for help in return

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Students from Sierra House Elementary have had their school days askew since a November 2018 fire forced them out of their home campus. For the last ten months, the Boys and Girls Club of Lake Tahoe (BGCLT) site has opened the doors on the space they rent from Lake Tahoe Unified School District (LTUSD) and shared with students during the school day.

BGCLT are scheduled to break ground next Spring on a new "clubhouse" that will be built next door, but in the meantime they share each room with staff and students from Sierra House.

"My team have been incredible through out the past ten months," said Jude Wood, BGCLT executive director. "Sharing space is hard and we've had to make many sacrifices to ensure that everyone can be accommodated. But we are glad to have been able to share our home for the good of the children and our community as a whole."

Just as teachers have to pack up their classrooms at the end of the day for use as Boys and Girls Club, the Boys and Girls Club staff have to pack up their materials each evening for use by teachers the next day.

Wood and her staff have given up their daytime meeting space as well.

"We no longer have rooms in which to meet during the day," said Wood. "School time programming has been put on hold and we've had to move, and in some instances permanently lose, equipment and resources."

But the Club and Wood know they are there to help for the children and our community.

BGCLT is now letting the community know they can help them out. Even though set to break ground on their new facility in 2020 after a generous donation from Lisa Maloff, the building fund is still short.

"The generous donation of $3 million by Lisa Maloff enabled our dream of our own building to take flight. Now we need the community's help to ensure that dream becomes a reality and help us to raise the additional $3 million needed for the project" Terri Arnold, BGCLT board president.

There are currently 900 South Lake Tahoe children who are served annually by BGCLT, and 300 of them come on a daily basis. A larger clubhouse will give the non-profit more space to help them give the 70 children on a wait list a spot in the program.

"We know we will serve well over 1000 a year in the new building," said Wood.

Wood said she has heard from many using the site for school that the old Al Tahoe Elementary is in poor condition, and she agrees.

"That's why we want a new, purpose built building that our children can be proud of," said Wood. "All of our children deserve better! We really hope that all of the community will recognize the value of the Club to the community, the need to ensure that the Club continues in a new, better, home and rewards the Club for all the support we have given the community over the past 28 years but particularly the past ten months."

Donations can be made online at www.bgclt.org/donate or mailed to Building Campaign, BGCLT, 1100 Lyon's Ave, South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150.