The Boys & Girls Club Makes a Difference for Kids in Downtown Vegas

A year ago, the Downtown Las Vegas Boys & Girls Club was on the verge of closing. Located in an economically tough neighborhood two miles east of the Vegas Strip, clubhouse attendance was sparse, as many parents in the area couldn’t afford to pay their children’s membership fees.

With the closing, the resources provided by the club—educational mentorship, space for kids to play and learn in a safe environment—were about to disappear from the neighborhood. A donation by Insomniac, however, changed the fortune and the future of the clubhouse and the children that it serves.

In October 2013, Insomniac CEO and Founder Pasquale Rotella donated $25,000 to the Boys & Girls Club of Southern Nevada. This money was raised through an Insomniac initiative that allocates $1 per event ticket and $10 per guest list attendee to charitable groups in the cities where events are produced. The Boys & Girls Club directed the donation entirely toward the downtown clubhouse, one of 14 Boys & Girls Clubs in Southern Nevada. The donation allowed B&GC administrators to lower the club’s yearly membership fee from $40 to $30.

A donation like this has really given him the ability to just be a kid. That’s something you can’t buy.

“Ten dollars doesn’t seem like a lot,” says Downtown Clubhouse Director Flor Loya, “but for our families, it’s huge.”

Within six months, attendance at the club had more than doubled from an average of 50 kids a day to more than 130. The club that had very nearly shut down was now packed and thriving.

The Boys & Girls Club provides vital resources for children, especially those who come from economically challenged households. Kids can come to the club after school to get help with homework and hang out in a supervised environment. On days when there is no school, members can hang out at the club all day. Children who would otherwise spend this time alone while their parents work instead have a safe and creative space to socialize.

Additionally, kids whose parents go to work early can get a ride to school from clubhouse staff. Insomniac’s donation cut the cost of this ride program in half, making it possible for more kids to come to the club in the morning and get to school safely and on time.

“That donation covers us for a solid year,” says Ken Rubeli, President and CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern Nevada, “and it really helped us reestablish momentum. It’s also created a buzz around the club and helped garner additional support.”

In December, legendary Las Vegas performers Siegfried and Roy performed a Christmas program for the kids, and Coca-Cola also recently made a donation.

The 5,000-square-foot clubhouse offers a computer lab, as well as activities including foosball, pool, air hockey, video games, arts and crafts, and more. Club members recently planted a salsa garden, which Loya says is thriving.

I’ve seen kids who were really shy grow tremendously through something as simple as dancing.

Through these activities, kids that might otherwise not get the attention they need are flourishing just the same. Loya says one member in particular, a 10-year-old named Walter, has grown significantly by coming to the clubhouse. When he first arrived, Walter was shy and nervous around other kids. His older brother had just passed away, and Walter was anxious about his family situation.

“He was having a hard time accepting that he was now the older brother,” Loya says. “His two little brothers would come to him for things, and Walter would struggle with that.”

Because club membership fees were reduced, Walter and his younger brothers were able to come to the club more consistently. By being around kids his own age, Walter became more comfortable among his peers and has blossomed into what Loya calls a loveable, social kid who digs hanging with his friends at the club.

“When a donation is made, most people don’t realize what effect it has,” Loya says, “but I know that for Walter, a donation like this has really given him the ability to just be a kid. That’s something you can’t buy.”

One of the most popular activities at the club is Friday Night Boogie, an event where the kids plug an iPod into some speakers, turn the music up loud, and dance. “Gangnam Style” was a huge hit at the clubhouse, and the kids were as wild for Baauer’s “Harlem Shake” as the crowds at EDC 2013.

“It’s amazing to see the kids grow and get to be goofballs and not care what people think,” Loya says. “I’ve seen kids who were really shy grow tremendously through something as simple as dancing.”

Electric Daisy Carnival Headliners can surely relate.