Boys & Girls Clubs of Fresno County will get $10,000 grant

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Fresno County will get a grant today that’s designed to get kids off the couch and onto their feet in football and basketball leagues.

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Fresno County is one of four clubs in the state to get a $10,000 grant from Anthem Blue Cross’ Triple Play program. The program encourages children to eat healthier, become more physically active and increase their ability to engage in healthy relationships. The grants are part of a three-year, $5 million national grant from the organization to improve children’s health. The club received two $5,000 grants in 2010 and 2011.

“We have a budget of about $2 million, 17 clubs, 80 employees and lots of expenses, and when you can have a grant that pays 5% of the budget, that can help,” said Diane Carbray, executive director.

The grant will be presented today at 1:30 p.m. at the Zimmerman Boys & Girls Club, 540 N. Augusta Ave.

Darrel Ng, spokesman for Anthem Blue Cross, said the organization chose Fresno because of large pockets of underprivileged children in the region.

“The children of Fresno County are deserving. We realize it costs money to teach kids how to eat healthy and to fund athletic programs so they understand how to be fit,” Ng said. “We are happy to do our part.”

The grant will be used primarily for sports equipment and referees for Boys & Girls Club sports activities at the five busiest clubs in Fresno County: Clovis, East Fresno, Pinedale, West Fresno and Zimmerman.

Carbray said the grants will keep more than 3,000 kids off the streets and in sports leagues for the next eight months.

“I believe they recognized the Central Valley because we have one of the highest populations of underserved kids in the nation. We need programs like this,” Carbray said.

By Ezra Romero