Montana after-school programs will receive $6 million in federal money after a three-week delay.
One of the programs benefiting from the unfreezing of federal money is the Boys and Girls Clubs of Yellowstone County.
Watch kids enjoying activities at the Boys and Girls Club below:
Organization President and CEO Brian Dennis says he was relieved when he got a call from Montana U.S. Sen. Steve Daines’ office with the news.
“When we got the news late last week that they had released that funding and completed their review, that was a big breath of fresh air for a lot of folks,” he said.
The money will go toward helping families bring their children to the organization who would not be able to afford it otherwise.
Seventeen-year-old Jenessa, who has been a member of the Boys and Girls Clubs for three years, says she enjoys learning and having fun with her friends. The club requested MTN News to use only members' first names.
“There’s so many fun activities the kids get to do, and all the friendships they get to build,” she said.
The Boys and Girls Clubs of Yellowstone provide three meals per day to children during the summer and an after-school snack to children during the school year.
The organization also supplies kids with emotional and academic support, including homework help, leadership development and resources to continue into a career.
“There’s a lot of families that, you know, it’d be a struggle, even with our modest fee, for them to participate. So, for them to have it at no cost, it allows us to be there every day during the school year and provide a day-long program in the summertime for those kids,” Dennis said.
While the program will reap the benefits of the funding, the $6 million will help more children, including more than 8,000 statewide.
