Boys & Girls Clubs of the Pee Dee Area received an Advocate of Youth award from Boys & Girls Clubs of America for their advocacy on behalf of South Carolina’s youth.

“Clubs like ours have a unique role as community leaders in providing valuable afterschool programs to our country’s youth that enable them to achieve great futures,” said Neal Zimmerman, Executive Director. “We are wholly committed to raising the visibility of the needs of the youth in our community, especially the ones who need us most, and show what we can accomplish with the support of our elected officials and our community.”

Boys & Girls Clubs of the Pee Dee Area operates six Club in Florence, Hartsville, Hemingway, Lake City, Pamplico, and Timmonsville. Club directors have ongoing communication with local officials, and our corporate staff stay in touch with elected officials and city and county offices. We invited Mayor Lethonia “Peaches” Barnes to speak and present awards at the Board of Directors Annual Meeting in January. U.S. Senator Tim Scott’s office presented each of our Club Youth of the Year with congratulatory letters at our Annual Steak N Burger Dinner in March.

The Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s Club Advocacy Engagement Recognition Program recognizes the advocacy work Clubs do every day, with a major emphasis on impact, creativity and innovation. The program consists of three tiers for Clubs: Advocate (first 50% of Clubs), Hero (next 40% of Clubs) and Champion (top 10% of Clubs). Clubs get points for impactful engagements and those points determine in which tier a Club is placed.

“Boys & Girls Clubs champion opportunities for all youth, equipping young people with the experiences and tools they need to succeed,” Zimmerman said. “Our advocacy isn’t just a one-day event. We are raising our voices every single day, to ensure top issues and solutions impacting young people are prioritized in our community, our state and at the national level.”