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Tipp
City Clubhouse
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Ginghamsburg Youth Ministry
Leadership,
Faith & Fun
By Deanna York
Clubhouse was started in 1988 by Ginghamsburg Youth Ministry to
encourage teens to get out of their comfort zone, mature in their
leadership and faith, obtain ongoing experience, use their interests
and gifts to serve community need and pass the torch to the next
generation.
The mission of Clubhouse is to train and equip Christian teens (grade
7-12) to design and run free after-school and summer programs for
elementary children (grade 2-6) with limited opportunities.
Fundamentals of the program are that it is faith-based and offers
mentoring, homework assistance, sports, arts and fun in a small group
setting with a teen-child ratio of 1:3.
Clubhouse's growth has been nothing short of miraculous. In 1989, the
program was offered one-day-a-week with 15 teens. Today, the Clubhouse
program is offered 3-4 days a week (120 days a year) with more than
6,000 teens having participated!
"Society has a misunderstanding of teens. Society thinks teens are too
busy and lack commitment, that they are not ready for leadership,"
shared Cheryl Bender, director of Clubhouse. "In reality, teens are
searching for significance."
According to Cheryl, teens gain vision through experience, not lecture.
The success of the program for teens is through the following: seeing
other passionate teens, exploring their backyard, short commitments of
six weeks and high expectations through a integrity covenant and job
descriptions.
Clubhouse is made up of teen interns (paid leadership), day leaders
(oversee a day with once-a-month leadership training/process), teen
small-group leaders (works with 2-4 children one day a week for a
session), Teens in Training-TNT (grade 6 students attending year
leadership program given daily roles, co-lead small groups and trips,
building new teen leaders within at-risk neighborhoods), adults and
drivers.
There are seven Clubhouse locations around the Miami Valley, including:
Fort McKinley, Five Oaks, Xenia Avenue, Troy East, Troy West, Tipp City
and Trotwood. Many of these locations are within walking distance of
elementary schools and in neighborhoods where limited opportunities are
available.
Megan Thompson, Clubhouse teen alum and Troy East intern shares, "Over
the past two years, I am frequently reminded of how Clubhouse really
prepared me for a career in teaching. Clubhouse does an incredible job
of fostering real leadership in an authentic, challenging setting. It
also teaches the importance of reflective leadership and personal
growth. These are powerful lessons and tools for teens. It's amazing
how Clubhouse sees the potential in youth."
Adrienne Bronner is currently serving as an intern at the Fort
Clubhouse. She is a recent graduate of Stivers School for the Arts in
Dayton and attends church at Fort McKinley.
"I am so grateful to Clubhouse for preparing me for the next chapters
of my life due to this experience," shared Adrienne. "I know that when
I am a teacher, I'll be looking through my past Clubhouse binders for
inspiration! I love the community that Clubhouse provides and helps me
connect with as well. I love having supervisors who push me to be a
better intern and person each week. It is such a blessing to have such
a meaningful experience."
"Clubhouse helped me learn patience and discipline," shared past intern
VeraKaye Sowers. "It was also really great to see the kids' faces light
up when they learned something new. This happened a lot, and gave me
great joy."
"Cheryl is the best!" according to VeraKaye. "She always had an answer
,and she never minded me calling or emailing her. She was flexible and
provided great feedback for me on how I aw doing with the kids. She's a
great role model for the kids and a great role model for any interns or
young adults in the Clubhouse program."
Cheryl Bender, the director of Clubhouse has been on staff at
Ginghamsburg Church for 24 years. She grew up at Ginghamsburg, and was
a member of Mike Slaughter's youth group. She will tell you that she
was a very shy girl. History tells us that she gained confidence and
went on to earn a master's degree in Clinical Psychology from the
University of Dayton. Although she is a licensed social worker, God has
called her to Clubhouse to mentor teens.
At the end of July, Clubhouse Camp will take place at the Avenue on
Ginghamsburg's Tipp City Campus. All seven Clubhouses will gather
together for 48 consecutive hours. To sign up your elementary-age
child, contact Cheryl at 937.667.1069 ext. 274 or
cbender@ginghamsburg.org.
In October, Clubhouse will celebrate 27 years of successful mentoring.
The Making a Difference Luncheon will take place on Thursday, October 1
at the Tipp City Campus Worship Center at noon. Clubhouse graduates
will share their personal, life-changing stories. It's sure to be an
inspirational hour; contact Cheryl to make reservations.
Ready to get involved? Catch the vision with our teens: visit a teen
training or day at a Clubhouse. Schedule a summer trip with us,
designing programming for your teens to do with the children or work
alongside our teens.
If you would like to support the children served by Clubhouse, you can
sponsor a child for only $75. The sponsorship includes school supplies,
sweat shirt and pants, hat, gloves and more in a backpack. Contact
Cheryl for details.
Follow The Clubhouse on Facebook.
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