Boys & Girls Club is expanding its services in Waite Park!
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Minnesota, in partnership with the Waite Park Community Collaborative and the St. Cloud Area School District, will begin programming in the park outside Discovery Community School in June 2023!
The NEW FREE program will serve Waite Park youth in grades K-12. More information available here.
Services will include:
- academic success programming
- violence prevention activities
- workforce development
- character & leadership development
- a snack and meal program.
The Waite Park Police Department will also provide youth soccer programming throughout the summer.
In September, the Boys & Girls Club will launch FREE Club programming for youth in grades K-12 at Discovery Community School from school dismissal – 7 p.m. Monday – Friday.
Space will be available for senior programming through the Waite Park Senior Center that will focus on meal and nutrition programs, information and assistance, health, fitness and wellness programs, transportation services, mental health counseling and volunteer and civic activities, plus opportunities for multi-generational programming.
About the Waite Park Community Collaborative
The Waite Park Community Collaborative is a partnership between the City of Waite Park, Waite Park Police Department, Waite Park Senior Citizen Community, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Minnesota, and the Greater St. Cloud Public Safety Foundation with many additional program partners.
The ultimate mission of the Waite Park Community Collaborative is to build or purchase and renovate an approximately 30,000 sq. ft. facility to serve youth, seniors and the greater Waite Park community that is designed to enhance community engagement and prevent crime through a philosophy of collaboration in a multi-jurisdictional, multi-disciplinary, multi-ethnic, and multi-generational environment. A number of factors outside of the Waite Park Community Collaborative’s control are affecting our ability to locate an appropriate existing building or land to build a facility to permanently house these services.
The City of Waite Park is a unique community within the State of Minnesota. It is a regional center with over 500 businesses within the larger metro St. Cloud area. According to the Waite Park Police Department and the Greater St. Cloud Public Safety Foundation, there are areas of serious concern that need to be addressed, including sex trafficking, drug use, lack of positive activities for youth and behavioral health crisis calls, which are often associated with larger urban areas.
According to the 2020 Census:
- Waite Park is the most diverse community in our Metropolitan Statistical Area at 58% identifying as Caucasian and 42% other ethnicities
- 24% of the Waite Park population is under age 18 (2,010)
- 25% of residents are at poverty level
- Waite Park PD responds to 700 behavioral health-related calls annually
Dist. 742 – Waite Park area schools – 2022-23 data
- Total Waite Park enrollment: 2,870 students
- Students utilizing special education services: 18%
- Students eligible for free or reduced lunches: 68%
- Students identifying as non-Caucasian: 70%
- Students identifying as English Language Learners: 18%
- Apollo High School 4-year graduation rate: 79%
- Apollo High School 7-year graduation rate: 88%
- St. Cloud Area Learning Center 4-year graduation rate: 39%
- St. Cloud Area Learning Center 7-year graduation rate: 59%
We will continue to update the website with additional details as this project moves forward. Please contact us at club@bgcmn.org with any questions.