Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe will visit the Boys & Girls Club of Jefferson City today to celebrate after-school programs for Lights on Afterschool, an annual, nationwide event.
The Boys & Girls Club at the Railton Center, 1105 Lafayette St., is hosting today's activities. Kehoe will visit with the children and teens in the program at 4:30 p.m.
The event will be one of thousands of in-person and virtual events across the country. Lights on Afterschool is organized by the Afterschool Alliance, a nonprofit public awareness and advocacy organization whose mission is to ensure all children have access to affordable, quality after-school programs, according to its website.
The Boys & Girls Club of Jefferson City serves more than 1,000 children every year in Jefferson City and Holts Summit, according to a news release from the Missouri AfterSchool Network, whose mission is to "build systems across the state that improve, support and sustain high-quality after-school programs," according to its website.
Lights On Afterschool will highlight the vital work after-school programs are doing to help children recover academically and socially from the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the news release.
Wade Middaugh, chief executive officer of the Boys & Girls Club of Jefferson City, said he appreciates the event because it highlights the importance of after-school programs across the state.
"The Boys & Girls Club has a long history of after-school programs and supporting youth," he said. "Especially during these trying times that we've got now, the role that after-school programs play in the development of youth is as important as ever. We're proud to be a part of it and make a difference for kids."
After-school programs such as the Boys & Girls Club "serve a crucial role in youth development by engaging youth in a wide range of programming to support their growth, education and career readiness."
Families have relied on the Boys & Girls Club of Jefferson City to provide a safe place for children after school every day for more than 25 years, according to the news release.
Oct. 28 was originally declared Lights on Afterschool day through a proclamation by Gov. Mike Parson, but events occur throughout the week. In addition to Kehoe's visit in Jefferson City, Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft will visit a program in Nixa, and Treasurer Scott Fitzpatrick will visit a program in Exeter.
Kehoe recently released a video sharing how Baden Elementary School's after-school program in North St. Louis impacted him.
"As the youngest of six, my mom worked hard as a single parent to support us," Kehoe said in the video. "She could not afford child care, and without the after-school program, my brother and sisters and I would not have had a safe place to go after school."
Unsupervised hours from 3-6 p.m. are a prime time for youth to be targeted by predators or get into trouble, he continued.
"After-school gave my mom opportunities to provide resources for our family and help me succeed in school and in life," he said. "So to the many after-school staff working hard to help Missouri families and youth thrive, I say thank you. Thank you for making Missouri a better place to work, live and learn."