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The Belhaven Community Afterschool Center (BCAC) recently received a $3,000 grant from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation. The funds will be used to support its Summer Read, to Achieve Literacy Program, for K-8 graders. “We have already purchased over 100 new books, instructional materials, technology, and software that will benefit the children we serve,” said Shantel Russell, CEO and co-founder of BCAC. “We have developed a summer reading program that will help our students enhance their reading skills. The work is very intentional, as they will be asked to show what they have learned and how they have mastered reading over the summer. Three thousand dollars doesn’t seem like a lot when you look at the overall cost of running the program, but it is a lot when you look at a program that will enhance literacy in a small community like Belhaven.”

The Dollar General Literacy Foundation supports organizations that increase access to educational programming, stimulate and enable innovation in the delivery of educational instruction, and inspire a love of reading. Each year, DGLF awards funds to nonprofit organizations, schools, and libraries within a 15-mile radius of a Dollar General store or distribution center to support adult, family, summer and youth literacy programs. “We are grateful to the Dollar General Literacy Foundation for selecting us as a recipient of the grant,” said Russell.

The reading program is part of BCAC’s 10-week summer camp. Each week will involve STEM-oriented activities at the center, which will also include field trips. “The majority of the field trips we will be taking will align directly with the instruction and curriculum being taught during the summer camp and our reading program. It is all about learning and having fun at the same time.”

Planned field trips include a two-day visit to the NC Estuarium, where the younger students will explore insect life, and the older students will be involved in a Marine Biology experiment. A trip has also been planned to the P.S. Jones Museum of African American Education, which will include a picnic in the park with Washington Mayor Donald Sadler and his wife Alice. The summer will culminate with a trip to Lions Water Adventure in Kinston.

The summer reading program and the summer camp are open to children from the surrounding area. The cost of the summer camp is $50. There will be an additional fee for the field trips. The reading program by itself is free. For more information about both programs, contact Shantel Russell at 252-548-7690 or BCACenter@outlook.com. The camp runs from June 9 through August 15. The reading camp will occur each morning with sessions for each age group, while the summer camp will be in the afternoon. Free breakfast, lunch, and afternoon snacks will be provided throughout the entire summer.

In October of 2024, the Belhaven Boys and Girls Club was closed due to cited declining numbers and financial concerns. Russell and Belhaven Mayor Ricky Credle, the COO and co-founder of BCAC, immediately stepped in and started the center. Currently, there are 42 students enrolled in the program.