BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS DAY FOR KIDS SET FOR SEPTEMBER 20th;

CLUBS PREPARE FOR FUN-FILLED DAY CELEBRATING KIDS

Survey: Kids Wish Parents Would Work Less, Spend More Outdoor Time with Them, Adults Spending Little Time Supervising Kids Online

July 25, 2007 (St. Lucie County) - Boys & Girls Clubs of St. Lucie County is teeing up to celebrate "Boys & Girls Clubs Day for Kids," (BGC Day for Kids) a major annual family event highlighting the value of meaningful time between caring adults and children. In St. Lucie County, BGC Day for Kids will be celebrated with hundreds of parents and kids participating in an event at Lyngate Park in Port St. Lucie.

The celebration is September 20 th; 3pm - 7pm at Lyngate Park and free food and activities are available. Guest speakers, food, sports games, face painting, live entertainment, giveaways, art activites and many other fun things are available for the entire family.

Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) is spearheading a national effort to establish BGC Day for Kids as an "official day" to celebrate our most valuable resource - our kids. While September 20 is the official day created to bring attention to the messages of BGC Day for Kids, in reality every day should be a day for kids.

To assist parents, practitioners and other caring adults, BGCA has created engaging educational resources to help them encourage and develop positive relationships with kids. A year-round web site, www.dayforkids.org, will provide tools, resources and tips that support their interactions with young people.

BGC Day for Kids Survey

A survey conducted this summer of more than 1,500 Boys & Girls Club members from across the nation identified how adults and children define meaningful time.

· The results revealed that most young people (78%) feel they do spend enough meaningful time with their parents.

· BUT ... The young people surveyed (39%) said they want their parents to work less and spend more outdoor time with them (43%).

· Young people (68%) say their parents or guardians are the most important role models in their lives and that the most important thing they learn from them are positive values (37%)

· While most (79%) say their parents have talked with them about Internet safety, most parents never or very rarely (67%) surf the Internet with their children or ask them who they are talking to online (55%).

· Most young people are participating in physical activities and games with their parents several times a week (55.1%) and eating home-cooked dinners together regularly (77%).

"We created Boys & Girls Clubs Day for Kids to foster stronger relationships between adults and children by educating them on the importance and value of spending meaningful time together," says Ginny Dennison, Unit Director of the Boys and Girls Club Ken Pruitt Unit. "BGC Day for Kids will provide the opportunity for every adult to take a break, celebrate and renew their commitment to our community's children."

The Boys & Girls Club of St. Lucie County is a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving the youth of the community. By providing a safe place to learn and grow, as well as life enhancing programs and character developing experiences; the club strives to enable all young people, especially those who need them most, to reach their full potential as caring, responsible and productive members of the community.

With twenty-one locations throughout the county, the Boys & Girls Club programs serve a diverse group of kids age 5-18. The over 3,060 members come from a variety of backgrounds, although special effort is made to reach out to those children from disadvantaged circumstances. Contact the Club by calling (772)460-9918 or visit www.bgcofslc.org.