CARBONDALE, Illinois – Community members asked many questions Monday at the Boys and Girls Club of Southern Illinois open dialogue session at Carbondale Community High School.
The purpose of the meeting was to provide a forum for community members to learn about the closing of the Southern Illinois Boys and Girls Club in Carbondale and Marion and to speak with board members about the future of the club.
The Clubs closed abruptly in June 2023Board members cited difficulties in obtaining grants, leadership changes and maintaining finances as reasons for the club’s closure.
The club has since started a fundraising campaign, looking for $200,000 to reopen the club doors.
From left to right: Cordy Love, Kathleen Fralish and ^ “Russell Williams: The Wonderful World of Madness”.
Vice-chairman Cordy Love said the clubs cost about $60,000 to operate. He said with the decline in donations from the community and the failure of previous leadership, they would have to start from scratch when they reopen the club doors.
“We lost a $40,000 grant, which was a big chunk,” Love said. “I think we as a board also have some responsibility to be really transparent.”
Denasha Oliver traveled from Murphysboro to attend the open dialogue session. She asked board members about the closure of Marion’s club and how long board members stay in their positions.
Oliver said she works closely with parents in the community and sees firsthand the impact the lack of a Boys and Girls Club has on parents.
“Many parents were simply at the end of their tether and didn’t know what to do after school or with the children,” said Oliver. “Many had to leave work early and find other ways to have their children looked after.”
Oliver hopes that clubs will return, but is not overly optimistic and fears that this has led to a further shortage of childcare services.
“I just hope that daycare will reopen for parents who may need it. I’m a single parent myself. And I know the impact that the lack of daycare can have on single parents, especially those who work and need those resources.”
Community members asked board members for their stance on the incident, and while each member expressed their deepest regret, board member Kathleen Fralish took responsibility for the board, saying, “We feel like we messed up. Our oversight should have been much better than it was.”
Love notes that the board is actively revising plans for the future, assuming enough money is raised to make the club operational. Love mentioned that she is working with other clubs in the area on best practices and seeking outside accounting agencies to help them with their finances.
Although the board is taking the necessary steps to reopen the club, it still lacks a CEO – and filling that position is proving difficult.
“To make the club work, you need a full-time leader,” Love said. “Currently, all of our board members are volunteers, so it’s important to have someone who can really do the work of the club and represent the mission of the Boys and Girls Clubs firsthand.”
FGlenn Poshard, chairman of the Undraising campaign, said they are still a long way from reaching their goal of raising $200,000, but he is still confident they will reopen both clubs by September.
