ALAMOSA — On Saturday, October 27th there were gowns, and masks and great items for bid at the SLV Masquerade Ball and Gala Auction benefiting the Boys & Girls Clubs of the San Luis Valley.

The annual event, held at the Rodeway Inn Banquet Halls, brought in over 150 guests from across the region to support the youth of the Valley. The community support for the Clubs was evident through the event with generous support of attendees and dozens of local and regional businesses provided items, trips, and tickets for the auction.

Joy Medina and her father Juan spoke about how important the Clubs have been in their life. Joy said, “without the Boys & Girls Clubs I don’t know where I would be today. We laugh together, we cry together and we have really good talks, especially lately.”

The Boys & Girls Clubs have extended their regular hours this fall and are now open from 3 p.m. until 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and host Teen Only nights on Monday and Wednesday from 7 p.m. through 9 p.m. The increased hours are working as the number of teen members is up significantly.

“Young people today are facing more pressure than ever before with the pressure to achieve and the prevalence of social media, and they have less face to face conversations with peers and trusted adults to try and navigate this added pressure. The Boys & Girls Clubs have some of the most incredible youth development professionals I have ever worked with — a dedicated and caring staff. We have a responsibility not only to our members but to all young people in the San Luis Valley to be a collaborative partner to support youth in the face of these challenges,” said Executive Director Aaron Miltenberger.

Board member Mike Hudson shared his family’s story of the loss of their son and challenged those attending to support the Clubs’ commitment to providing tools to youth that would help young people talk about their difficulties and find support in times of need.

The club is committed to serving more youth, more often and with deeper impact and that is stretching resources that were already thin. The Boys & Girls Clubs are seeing an average of 133 members every day, well above historic averages. Every member is provided a snack, time to work on reading and homework, and nationally recognized programming.

The staff are trained in Positive Youth Development and work to adhere to their motto, “We over Me.” As the Boys & Girls Clubs seek to do more to support youth, the need for financial and volunteer support from the community is at an all-time high as well.

Miltenberger said, “We would like to extend our heartfelt appreciation to everyone in the community who helped us exceed our expectations for this event. The resources contributed today will provide young people a positive place to become who they want to be.”

Community sponsors including 1st Southwest Bank, Alamosa State Bank, San Luis Valley Federal Bank, Friday Health Plans, Rio Grande Savings & Loan, SLV Health, Wall, Smith & Bateman, Van Iwaarden Builders, Ace Hardware, CIA Leavitt, Valley-Wide Health Systems, and Rural Electric Coop underwrote the event ensuring that all proceeds went directly to supporting programs and the general operations of the Clubs.