The Boys and Girls Clubs of Pueblo County presented to the Pueblo City Council on Nov. 24 seeking city support to sustain out-of-school programming in high-need neighborhoods.

Becky Medina, chief operating officer for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Pueblo County, asked the council to approve a three-year service agreement at $50,000 per year to ensure year-round out-of-school care at three locations: the Reguilera Teen Center at Central High School, the Eastside Clubhouse at Risley and the Sprague Clubhouse serving public housing. "In return for the $50,000 agreement per year, Boys and Girls Club will provide out of school time care at 3 locations serving 1000 youth annually," Medina said during the presentation and committed to annual reporting on attendance, grade progression and youth-safety indicators.

Presentations included personal testimony from program participants. Fernando Stradiquiran, identified as a former club member and the organization's board chair, told the council the club “opened a world” for him, helped him avoid unsafe choices and ultimately supported his path to earn two college degrees. Youth participants described academic supports and STEM opportunities; Aman said the club served as a "second home" and credited the staff with homework help and mentoring, while Shay Portman, a Central High School student and STEM mentor, said the club's services helped her succeed in concurrent-enrollment college classes.

Medina detailed program capacity and services: 25 year-round slots funded through the city allocation (across the three sites), roughly 25 hours per week of programming during the school year and up to 50 hours per week in the summer at each site. The presentation cited 2025 outcomes, including nearly 40,000 hours of club-led community service and leadership programs; reported outcomes included that 100% of members progress to the next grade on time, 96% report being supported by adults and 87% report a sense of belonging. Medina also described organizational scale and local economic impact, citing employment of more than 75 people with a $2,300,000 payroll and claiming the organization's work generates $6.32 in economic impact per dollar invested (totaling over $32,500,000 in impact).

Councilors praised the club's work and asked operational questions. Councilor Martinez asked how the proposed contract funds would be used; Medina said the funds primarily support parts of staff salaries for the city-funded slots and program supplies. City staff explained that the presentation was timely because Councilor Martinez planned to request a $50,000 budget amendment for the 2026 budget that evening. City staff said that if council passes that amendment, they would work with Boys and Girls Clubs to allocate the contract for 2026, potentially in December. The transcript records no formal council vote approving the contract; Councilor Martinez said he was prepared to add the $50,000 amendment to the budget that night and asked for support.

The presentation and council discussion left two implementation points uncompleted in the record: (1) the council had not yet approved a contract; (2) the budget amendment was described as forthcoming and no vote on the amendment is recorded in these segments. The transcript shows broad council support and recorded council members' personal praise and recollections of the club's local history.