Carroll County Boys and Girls Club will celebrate its first anniversary on Jan. 12 with a full house. Executive Director E. J. Vereen said the long-term goal was to have an average of 125 students attend each day and the club already is averaging 128.

“The increase in the number of kids was a little surprising,” Vereen said. “We didn’t expect to have that many kids that fast. So, we’ve kind of outgrown our building.”

The four rooms of building B at the old school on Maple Street that the club is using can comfortably accommodate between 100 and 125 students. The club has a total of 176 students registered, and although not every students attends every day, it has had to place some students on a waiting list because some age groups, the 6- and 7-year-old and the 8- and 9-year-old groups, are completely full. The club is at that magic number where it is needing to expand, said Kristi Garrett, chairwoman of resource development for the clubs’ board of directors.

“A typical Boys and Girls Club facility, they have a teen center,” Vereen said. “If we can get another room, maybe next door, we could put all our teenagers over there and it would open this part up to have a couple more kids in it.”

Vereen spent the first year learning about the community and its needs and is planning to make some adjustments in this new year. For instance, the club is trying to recruit more students from the county, but transportation is an issue. The Carrollton City Schools system transports students to the club, but with the county schools being so spread out, they don’t bring the students in to the club. So, during the school year, about 95 percent of the students who attend each day are from Carrollton. During the summer, that ratio becomes closer to 50-50.

That is an issue the club hasn’t been able to solve. Three community churches have let the club use their vans to pick up students, but without its own transportation, reaching the children in the county has been difficult.

However, Vereen has noticed another need that he is going to try to address this year.

“One of the things were trying to emphasize on is increasing our Hispanic population,” he said. “Right on our street behind us, Lovvorn, a lot of kids, even when we’re out playing we see a lot of kids who are by themselves.”

The club has a lot to offer the Hispanic children, especially those who might be a little behind in their classes because their English skills are not as good as their classmates.

“If we can get more of those kids within our facility, we can help them with that,” Vereen said.

The club has a power hour with tutoring and homework help available for the children. It also has a Spanish-speaking volunteer who is helping some of the students it already has. Those students came in behind, but are getting the help they need to succeed in their classes.

That is the focus of Boys and Girls Club. Its mission is to serve less fortunate students and to help them succeed.

“We’re not just a baby-sitting service,” Garrett said. “A lot of our kids are at-risk and would do well to have a mentor in their lives, and so we’re hoping to start to develop that.”

That’s why she wanted to be involved in the organization.

“I think all children, regardless of background or income level, deserve an opportunity,” Garrett said. “I just want them to have an opportunity to achieve.”

The club has been helping students achieve. They know because their members’ parents are telling them. Their children’s grades are improving, their behavior is improving.

“One of the young ladies, she showed us her report card and the teacher had said, ‘I’m not sure what’s happening, but she’s not talking in class anymore. Her behavior has gotten better. I’m not sure what y’all did, but keep it up,” Vereen said. “Her mom said the only thing she could think of, she started coming here. So that lets us know that what we’re trying to set in place and the things we’re trying to teach them are working. They’re taking it to school, taking it home and it’s making it better.”

But the club still needs help. Just like a lot of non-profit organizations that depend on donations for its support, the club has lost some of its donors to the rotten economy. The board is trying to replace those sponsors that are no longer able to help them, as well as add some so it can expand to fill the needs of the community.

In addition, the club needs volunteers. Tutors and mentors are an important part of the clubs mission to help inspire the students to succeed. The club has one full-time and four part-time employees to serve the 128 students who come each day. Volunteers can and do fill that gap, but there is always room for more.

“We have a fantastic power-hour program (homework and tutoring),” Garrett said. “So, we have a lot of opportunity for people to come in and assist with tutoring.”

Retired teachers or new teachers who haven’t found a full-time job can give a couple of hours a week and make a difference in the children’s lives. There is also need for mentors from the community who can give some one-on-one time to the students.

“They don’t necessarily have to have an education degree,” Garrett said.

The club also needs materials. Right now, the 176 students are sharing nine computers to do their homework. The school also runs through art supplies quickly. But because its mission is to help low-income children, the club keeps its fees for the families low and needs to raise its money elsewhere.

“We did this in very difficult, trying times,” said Mike Low, chairman of the board of directors of Carroll County Boys and Girls Club. “The fact that we have got up and running and continue to have donations and have had a really successful first year is the thing that I am proud of. ... It’s up and running and serving children and I think it’s just really a great thing for the community.”