"the People's Paths!" Cherokee News Path - Cherokees Contribute to Boys and Girls Clubs

"Maggie Gurley, chief professional officer of Boys and Girls Club of Green Country receives a contribution of $40,000 from the Cherokee Nation. From left to right: Meredith Frailey, Cherokee Nation Tribal Council member representing Mayes County, Gurley and Chad Smith, Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation."

The Cherokee Nation recently contributed $145,000 to Boys and Girls Club of America, an organization dedicated to helping young people across the U.S. reach their full potential as productive, caring and responsible citizens.

“The Boys and Girls Club is unique because there’s hardly a better investment into the leadership of our children,” said Chad Smith, Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation. “It’s in the best interest to invest in these children and the Boys and Girls Clubs are extraordinary in their work with those children.”

Local chapters who were recipients of the contributions include Boys and Girls Club of Tahlequah, Boys and Girls Club of Green Country, Boys and Girls Club of Bartlesville, Delaware County Boys and Girls Club, Boys and Girls Club of Sequoyah County, Boys and Girls Club of Nowata and Boys and Girls Club of Chelsea.

“This contribution is going to help immensely in enhancing the cultural programming that we are already instigating,” said Maggie Gurley, chief professional officer for Boys and Girls Club of Green Country. “We also plan to use it for more outreach programs to reach families, which is a big initiative with us now and that we have family support.”

Gurley said that another initiative of Boys and Girls Club of Green Country is to increase the high school graduation rate of area students and provide them with a plan of secondary education.

Boys and Girls Clubs of America was founded in 1896. Today, approximately 4,300 clubs are active and serve more than 4.8 million boys and girls throughout the United States, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands and on U.S. military bases around the world.

“It’s an honor to have the continuing partnership of Cherokee Nation with our programs to provide great things for our young people,” said Randy Keller, chief professional officer of the Delaware County Boys and Girls Club. “We plan to put this funding towards our programs dealing with diabetes prevention, gang prevention and educational enhancement issues and plan to work hard and help these children lead a healthy and productive life.”