Clubs seek success for all youths

At the Boys & Girls Clubs of Dundee Township in Carpentersville, we see every day the inequities and roadblocks facing our country's young people. It's with that in mind that we commit to providing every child the opportunity for a better future, no matter their background, to assure that success is within reach for every young person who enters our doors and that everyone reaches their full potential. But we can't do it alone.

As a board member of our local club, I traveled recently to Washington , D.C., to join Boys & Girls Clubs from all across our nation in advocating for our youth. We met with Illinois senate and congressional offices to discuss the imperativeness of providing solid after-school care resources with a particular focus on the comprehensive and collaborative workforce development and readiness programs that reach kids as young as the elementary level through high school. Whatever path our teens choose after high school, be it a two- or four-year college, vocational training or immediate full-time employment, they need the resources to be prepared for success.

Our kids" success isn't just on Congress or our state lawmakers; it's on all of us to move the needle for youth in America, creating real opportunity based on kids" potential - not on the circumstances that surround them. Our young people are the promise of tomorrow, our future leaders and innovators of our economy.

We owe it to them to invest in their futures today. Support your local Boys & Girls Club.

Karen Trzaska

Barrington