Several organizations hosting summer programs for kids in Chattahoochee Valley

COLUMBUS, Ga. (WTVM) - Summer is right around the corner which means kids will have a lot of free time on their hands. Several organizations are doing their part to keep local kids off the street.

With less than a month of school left in the Chattahoochee Valley, parents now have the chance to enroll their kids into summer programs. Boys and Girls Club of Columbus’ Senior Director Tavari Turner says with the recent uptick in crime among youth, the organization is working to combat that.

“It’s a priority for us to help do our part to make sure we lower the crime rate in the community, and we really do that by making sure young people stay engaged giving them something really positive to be a part of during the summertime and so we are hoping that kids and teens are in our clubs from 7:30 until the time we closed,” said Turner.

The organization is accepting children between 6-18 years old offering several opportunities including college tours, basketball tournaments, and educational tools - to name a few. And this isn’t the only option for local kids. Girls Inc. in Columbus giving girls an opportunity to tap into their athleticism this summer.

“We will have a lot of great summer sports camps for the kids this year these are the types of things that keep these kids occupied like you said keep them off the street and doing positive things and eventually they can benefit from it,” said Michael Woods, sports director.

Their programs including golf, tennis, and travel basketball to name a few. Jessica Carter, a product of the Girls Inc. program is now a basketball player at Mississippi State University with hopes of playing in the WNBA.

“It means a lot because I’m just so close this is my last year next year I’ll be potentially a top five pick in the draft all because of what they did here with coach woods and all that I really appreciate it and then the girls younger than me looking up to me they can be like okay, well I can do that too so it means a lot,” said Carter.

Girls Inc. and the Boys and Girls Club of Columbus are both making sure the youth can focus on positive things to keep them occupied this summer.

For more information on how to get your kid involved this summer, feel free to visit any of the locations to sign them up.

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