Boys & Girls Club reports teen programming growth at Vista Grande lounge; asks for continued district support

Matt Lundberg, representing the Boys & Girls Club, updated the Casa Grande Union High School District Governing Board on the organization’s partnership with the district and the City of Casa Grande to serve teens at Vista Grande High School.

“We want to be a safe place for kids to go when they’re not in school,” Lundberg said, summarizing the program’s purpose. He told the board the club began as an after‑school program for K–5 students in 1998 and expanded to the teen space in 2016 through a partnership that located programming in the high‑school library (the students’ space is commonly called “the lounge”). Lundberg said the lounge is now part of a three‑corner partnership with the district and the city’s Parks & Rec and library staff.

Lundberg provided program statistics: the Boys & Girls Club network served 320 teens across seven clubs in 2024, which he said represented about 15% of the organization’s total served population; at the Vista Grande lounge this year the club has recorded about 1,898 total visits, 136 unique teens so far and an average daily attendance of roughly 25 teens. He said 17 of the lounge team members are district employees or from the district community and that lounge participants can access Vista Grande’s tutoring and college‑and‑career readiness programs.

On needs, Lundberg said funding remains the organization’s primary need and that program development — including expanded fine‑arts offerings such as guitar instruction and bucket‑drumming — is a short‑term priority. When a board member asked for the club’s “biggest need” and “biggest want,” Lundberg replied, “The joke in my world is that if I have a tie on, I’m asking someone for money. Right? So money is the easy…nonprofit answer.” He added the club also seeks help defining how to scale and improve programming to better impact teens.

Lundberg closed by thanking district staff and administrators by name and opening the floor for questions. No board action was taken on the presentation; the board acknowledged the update and expressed appreciation for the partnership.

Why this matters: the high‑school‑site lounge is one of the district’s on‑campus youth service partners; growth in teen participation and documented use of school tutoring and readiness resources indicate a continuing intersection of district educational services and community providers.

Key program figures presented by Lundberg (reported by presenter): - 2016: Boys & Girls Club began on high‑school campus pilot at Vista Grande (the “lounge”). - 2024 (network): 320 teens served across seven clubs (about 15% of total population). - Vista Grande lounge (current year to date): 136 unique teens served, ~1,898 total visits, ~25 kids per day. - Staffing note: 17 lounge team members are from the district (Union) community.

Attributions: program descriptions and exact attendance figures are taken from Matt Lundberg’s presentation to the board.