Funding for the Athens YWCO Camp came into question during the Athens-Clarke County Mayor and Commission meeting on Thursday night.
Kitty Meyran, executive director of the YWCO, asked for significant funding of the girl’s camp through the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program. The camp was funded by the CDBG from 1981-2004, said Meyran. However, due to changes in the federal CDBG in 2004, the YWCO was turned down when the camp reapply for the grant.
“When we came back to apply three years later, the federal focus for CDBG programs had been changed, especially for youth programs” said Meyran at the meeting.
The new focus of the CDBG grant designated local funding for housing and
jobs. The Athens YWCO Club was not given funds because the girls that attended
the camp are not old enough to have jobs.
“I contend that while girls are young, that is the most critical time to
instill in them a strong work ethic,” said Meyran.
Commissioners George
Maxwell and Jerry NeSmith said that they would like to figure out a way to get
funding to the girl’s camp.
“We have $215,000 that can be reprogrammed,” said Maxwell. “Somewhere we
should be able to find some of that [money] to help the young ladies at the
YWCO and instill in them that we, as a community, care about them."
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