Boys & Girls Club reason for hope

It's easy to find reasons to be alarmed about the state of our nation's youth and the enormous challenges they have growing up in a rudderless society and facing an uncertain future.

The national public high school dropout rate stands at nearly one-third. Our youth continue to struggle with dangerous substances ­­- almost­­ 10 percent of teenagers use drugs. Add a faltering economy to the mix, and it's hard to find any good news about young people these days.

But there is good news to be found, right in our own community, at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Elgin. Even as everything around us tells us to be pessimistic, I am full of optimism. That's because I see the club work with incredible young people every day. Their hope for the future gives us all hope.

Why are they confident about the future? Because they belong to the Boys and Girls Club - a place that enables young people to achieve academic success, embrace healthy lifestyles and develop a strong sense of civic duty.

The club recently received an Elgin Image Award for the new Education and Enrichment Center that opened on Dundee Avenue in June of 2008. Through this new 15,000-square-foot facility, the club is able to support the needs of more than 1,300 children. The club also received a 2009 award for Business Excellence from the Business Ledger as a Notable Not-For-Profit.

Stop in for a tour and see the great work that happens at The Boys and Girls Club of Elgin. Because these days, we could all use some good news.

Jeff Swoboda

Police Deputy Chief

Elgin Police Department