The Boys and Girls Clubs of Rochester are hosting a candlelight vigil tonight. It's part of a nationwide event calling attention to the benefit of afterschool programs.
Boys and Girls Clubs executive director Dwayne Mahoney says the programs offered by his organization and others in Monroe County can make a real difference in a child's life.
"When you can get a kid to be in an afterschool program three to five days a week, one, you know he's going to be safe between the hours of three and eight or nine o'clock, and for the most part, he's going to get the social and academic supports that most kids really need, " Mahoney said.
Mahoney said on several different occasions late last summer, there was yellow crime scene tape where shootings took place near the club at 500 Genesee Street; a sign, Mahoney said, of how important it is to get children involved in a program that will keep them off the streets and also help them to become productive members of the community.
Mahoney said the Boys and Girls Clubs provide afterschool services for about 900 kids at five different Rochester locations two to five days a week.
Programs range from literacy and tutoring to sports, robotics and digital media arts.
The club is part of The Greater Rochester Afterschool Alliance, which is supported by the Rochester Area Community Foundation.
