Boys and Girls Clubs receive $34,000 grant

State and federal budget cuts nearly forced the Boys and Girls Clubs of Bloomington to cut back their staff, transportation and programs this year.

But a sign this week at the groups’ home, Lincoln Street Club, revealed their savior, proclaiming, “Thank you, Walmart.”

The Walmart Foundation presented the Boys and Girls Clubs with a $34,000 grant in a ceremony Wednesday.

About a dozen representatives of Walmart and the Boys and Girls Clubs stood outside the Lincoln Street Club in front of a shiny new bus in the sweltering heat for the ceremony.

$10,000 of the donation to the nonprofit organization is for a new bus, $15,000 for staffing at all three of the Bloomington Boys and Girls Clubs, $6,000 for supplies and $3,000 for gas and maintenance on the new bus.

Two of the Boys and Girls Clubs staffers, Elaina Dunn and Shawna Meyer-Niederman, spent about three months earlier this year working on a grant for the donation, which they won in early June.

“The funding from the Walmart grant will guarantee that we will be able to continually serve our youth with appropriate staff, reliable transportation and safe resources,” Meyer-Niederman said.

The grant was part of about $300,000 the Walmart Foundation has given away in Indiana so far this year. The requests for these grants are read by state committees composed of Walmart employees from cashiers to managers who decide to whom the money should be sent.

Phillip McIlrath, a representative from the Walmart Foundation, said the Boys and Girls Clubs are especially close to his heart because he grew up in a children’s home.

“Any time you have the chance to make an impression on a child’s life, you should do that,” McIlrath said at the event. He also stressed the philanthropic tradition at Walmart.

The representatives from the Boys and Girls Clubs thanked the Walmart Foundation for the donation and talked about the positive impact the youth organization can have on children’s lives.

Program Director Matthew Searle said the Boys and Girls Clubs have impacted the lives of the children he works with.

“It’s a place where you feel safe and feel supported,” Searle said.