Boys and Girls Clubs Could Come to Danbury

For the second year in a row, campers of the William J Knight Foundation spent a day at Ridgefield's Boys and Girls Clubs. The array of resources available to the children at Ridgefield's Club includes a large outdoor swimming pool, a game room, a full gym and other indoor and outdoor activities.

 Director Julia Hadlock, executive director of the Club, and William Knight stood at the edge of the pool admiring the enthusiastic splashing of the children in the pool. “We started here last year and they have treated us royally,” said Knight. “I wonder what we would have to do to get something like this going in Danbury.”

 Hadlock suggested that in the future, Ridgefield's resources, such as administration and fund raising might be shared, enabling Danbury to get a good jump start in developing their own Boys and Girls Club.

 “I joined this club a year ago,” said Hadlock. “And now we are looking at how we can use our resources to support the greater Danbury region. We are part of a national association and there is a lot of interest in going forward with Danbury. I definitely see the potential to support the Boys and Girls Clubs in other areas.”

Program opportunities include the possibility of having children from Danbury participate in leadership programs offered in Ridgefield. “The obstacles are transportation, said Hadlock. “But it would be great to have more people participate and reach a greater audience.”

 “My goal is to build bridges between communities,” said Knight. “This is a wonderful opportunity to collaborate,” said Knight.

 The William J Knight Foundation Computer and Language Arts camp has spent the summer in the Henry Abbott Technical school building. Knight said, “We were so lucky to be here. We didn't lose any time due to heat with the air conditioning, and they have a state of the art computer lab."

 The camp is able to provide educational and recreational activities free of charge to children in Danbury who would not otherwise have been able to afford a camp experience. Nancy Knight, a retired teacher who taught in the Danbury area for 28 years, said, “We have been doing this camp for 16 or 17 years, and I have been living in this area all my life. I've seen it through good times and bad. I can't go anywhere without running into children I knew when they were young.”

 This year the camp is hosting thirty-five children. “We try to mix education with recreation. We make sure they spend time writing and on Danbury School's pre-approved websites. It helps the kids with school because it keeps their skill levels up throughout the summer.”

 Camp counselor Malcolm Moss, who is a business major at Johnson C Smith University, loves working with the kids. “Everyday I wake up just to see their smiling faces."