Outfitted in goggles that simulate the visual impairments brought on by alcohol, opioid and marijuana use, kids from across Porter and Lake County gathered at Portage Boys & Girls Club to stack cups, drive model cars, and hula hoop. Director of Grant Operations Orlando Drummond said the event served as a fun way to reinforce the concepts taught in Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Northwest Indiana’s Too Good for Drugs and Too Good for Violence programs.
“Too Good for Drugs is one of the most popular programs in our Clubs. It’s engaging and the kids have a lot of fun with it. They learn about the dangers of substance abuse, as well as how to develop confidence in resisting peer pressure and how to build positive relationships with their peers,” Drummond said.
Roughly 90 kids from Clubs throughout the organization participated in the event, which marked the end of this year’s program cohort. Club members ate lunch, played games, and received swag bags before being bused back to their home Clubs.
Boys & Girls Clubs Director of External Affairs Dylan McKee said Club members were surprised by how difficult the goggles made performing basic tasks.
“Every time the kids put the goggles on, they were like ‘whoa!’ Then we’d toss bean bag balls and ask them to catch only the blue ones or drive a little car down a fairly straight line, and most of them couldn’t do it,” McKee said. “It’s a good way to remind them that drugs and alcohol can not only take a physical toll in the long run, but also in the moment they can make it very difficult to function safely.”
The event also served as a way to introduce Club members to peers outside their community.
“We are intentional about splitting Club members up when they get there. We want them to go through the whole event in groups with kids from other Clubs,” Drummond said. “It’s easy for them to stick with who they know, and we really want them to branch out and meet Club members from different communities. Kids from our Cedar Lake Club go through the event with kids from our Clubs in East Chicago, Gary, Valparaiso. It’s a really cool opportunity for them.”
In total, Boys & Girls Clubs was able to fill over 200 program spots with members from the organization’s nine Clubs. Members participate in a weeks-long curriculum and then the organization-wide event, both of which are made possible through funding from Geminus Corporation and a grant from Supporting Addiction Free Environments (SAFE), for whom Geminus is the fiscal agent.
Geminus Corporation’s Director of Prevention Services Eric Evans said the programming is ultimately funded through the Indiana Division of Mental Health and Addiction and that partnerships with community organizations make it possible for Geminus Prevention Services to continue their work in coalition building, programming and trainings to build safe and healthy communities throughout the region.
“Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Northwest Indiana has been a tremendous partner in our work to prevent substance use and misuse among youth through Northwest Indiana,” Evans said. “As an active member of Lake County’s SAFE Coalition and collaborating to deliver evidence-based programs like Too Good for Drugs and Too Good for violence, hundreds of youth have learned skills and gained knowledge to help them overcome peer pressure and reinforce healthy decision making.”
Traditionally, Boys & Girls Clubs has only offered the Too Good for Drugs program in its Lake County Clubs. Drummond said this was the first year the program was extended to Clubs in Porter County.
“We were really excited when Geminus gave us the chance to expand,” Drummond said. “It’s a great program, and the more kids who can benefit from it, the better.”
More Club members will have the chance to participate in Too Good for Drugs and Violence, as well as next year's event; Supporting Addiction Free Environments recently awarded Boys & Girls Clubs a $5,574 grant to continue its programming.
About Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Northwest Indiana:
Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Northwest Indiana has been opening doors to GREAT FUTURES for Porter and Lake County youth for over 60 years. Clubs are open after school and provide great places for youth in grades K-12 to meet friends and have fun while in a safe, supervised environment. Clubs are open during holidays and in the summer. Annual membership is only $40.00. For information on membership, volunteer opportunities, or to make a tax-deductible donation, please contact your local Club by calling (219) 764-2582 or visiting bgcgreaternwi.org. Great Futures Start HERE.
