Cherokee Nation Donates $5 Million To Boys And Girls Club Programs

The Cherokee Nation is giving $5 million to the local Boys and Girls Club programs.

This money allows the programs to tutor more kids, feed more kids and help more kids in general.

Brynn Barron, the CEO of the Nowata Boys and Girls Club, says the new money will be a gamechanger.

"We have a garden that we just got put in, and we will be able to just have that whole sense of providing kids with knowledge, and opportunities, and just enhance it with this new money,” said Barron. “We're thrilled."

The Cherokee Nation gives thousands to Boys and Girls Clubs annually, but this year, they decided to up their investment to $5 million, which will help with food, building improvements, and tutoring.

"They already fill a great deal of the gaps that exist across the reservation in terms of taking care of kids, so we're challenging them to, if they can, scale up what they do, and so that's what the largest part of this announcement today is in the area of childcare," said Chuck Hoskin, the Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation.

Hoskin says making sure kids have what they need when they get out of school is important.

"It matters whether our young people have what they need in terms of food security, in terms of daycare, child care, people that are in their lives in a positive way, particularly in those times after school," said Hoskin.

Barron says she’s seen the Boys and Girls Club change lives in Nowata and she is excited for the chance to be able to expand its programs.

"I have a big heart for kids anyway, but seeing kids in need and kids whose parents, some are working and some don't have work, but all of them need a place that's safe and a fun place to be after school," said Barron.

The money will go toward nine Boys and Girls clubs around Green Country.