MOSES LAKE — The Boys and Girls Clubs of the Columbia Basin is getting an annual boost this month from a local retailer. Ross in Moses Lake is raising money for the children’s resource in a special event called “Help Local Kids Thrive.” This is the seventh year the store has supported the program in Moses Lake, according to BGCCB Resource Development Director Anastasia Carpenter. 

“This program sponsors our Power Hour, academic support for our club members,” Carpenter said. 

The fundraiser is part of a nationwide program Ross has held annually nationwide for 11 years, according to a statement from Ross Stores Group Senior Vice President Matt Young. Cashiers at the Moses Lake and Wenatchee stores will accept donations from customers, and the company will match up to $500,000. Eighty percent of that money goes to the local club, Carpenter said, and the rest to the Boys and Girls Clubs of America. 

“People can leave $1, $2, $3, $5 donations … at the checkout,” Carpenter said. “Usually there are also some marketing materials at the store so when people come in, they can read about this campaign and their results (for) the Boys and Girls Club.” 

The store provides the marketing materials, Carpenter said, and coordinates with the club. A few times during the month-long campaign, some children from the Boys and Girls Club will stop by to visit the store. 

“We went to the local store and we did some arts and crafts, and kids had a chance to have a tour of the store, and they were able to announce the donations people (made) at the checkout,” Carpenter said. “That was an amazing experience.” 

“Ross is proud of our long-standing partnership with Boys & Girls Clubs, and we are excited to host our 11th annual in-store fundraiser to ‘Help Local Kids Thrive,’” Young wrote in his statement. “Each year, Ross Stores, the Ross Stores Foundation, our Associates, and our generous Customers join forces to raise funds for Clubs nationwide and their Power Hour homework help program. Together, we are committed to providing kids in communities across the country with the academic support they need to achieve big goals.” 

The Power Hour program, which offers structured homework help for club members after school, is one of the club’s oldest and most popular programs, Carpenter said. There are helpers at all the club’s sites at local schools, as well as the McGraw Clubhouse. 

“We have our youth development professionals and a designated area in the clubs for the homework, so they can sit down and they provide them some help with math, for example, or other things they are struggling with. Or maybe sometimes kids just don't have this opportunity, or nobody can help them at home with their homework. We also have our behavior support specialist, so if kids are struggling or they can't focus, we help them with that too.” 

The Boys and Girls Clubs of the Columbia Basin has more than 1,500 registered members, Carpenter said, and every day more than 600 students attend the school-based sites at Larson, North, Longview and Midway elementary schools.  

“This program is incredibly important as we have seen club members face academic challenges in recent years, particularly after COVID, along with difficulties in social interaction,” Carpenter wrote in an email to the Columbia Basin Herald. “This program aims to address these issues, enhance learning, and build essential skills for their future. We are deeply grateful to Ross for supporting these programs nationwide.” 

    Children from the Boys and Girls Club visit with a Ross clerk in Moses Lake.