East Atlanta Kids Club (EAKC), a long-standing afterschool and summer program for youth placed at-risk in southeast Atlanta, is set to expand its youth development programming as a recipient of the highly competitive Building Opportunities in Out-of-School Time (BOOST) Grants Program. In recognition of the organization's sustained impact on youth and its more recent impact on supporting food insecure neighbors, the organization was also recognized with the Innovator Award at the recent Georgia Afterschool & Youth Development Awards ceremony.

This statewide recognition and the separate BOOST grant, the largest in EAKC history at $107,100 for 2021-2022 with the possibility of renewal for two subsequent years, will empower the organization to increase the number of youth served daily, invest in additional program partners for afterschool and summer programming, and ensure high-quality programming continues to be available for deserving Atlanta kids and teens at no cost to their families. 

EAKC has served the community since 1998, with over 1,000 youth coming through its doors at the City of Atlanta's Brownwood Recreation Center over the last two decades, and during the COVID-19 pandemic, EAKC has increased the scope of its programming, meeting expanded community need and keeping its doors open to youth and their families.

This award arrives at a key time for EAKC, coming alongside multi-year funding from major family foundations and government sources as Ryan Downey, Executive Director, notes, "the impact of this substantial multi-year support is that it allows us be aspirational in how we serve our kids, and ensures that we remain stable as we meet essential needs and work to close the achievement gap that has only widened for too many during this pandemic. We now have two buses running to eleven area schools daily, and more kids join our program with each passing week. We know what this investment means for our kids and their families, and we are humbled by this generous support."

Funding for the BOOST program comes from the American Rescue Plan, and the grant program is administered by the Georgia Department of Education in partnership with the Georgia Statewide Afterschool Network.

More information about East Atlanta Kids Club can be found at www.eastatlantakids.org