The Grenville Baker Boys & Girls Club is being awarded $500 from the Women's Sports Foundation. The WSF, in collaboration with the 1999 Tampax Grants for Girls Program, awarded one of 76 grants to the Boys & Girls Club for a Girls Soccer Program. Thanks to the support of the WSF and Tampax, an all-girl soccer league for girls in grades 1-6 will premier in the fall of 1999. The grant will help finance equipment and uniforms.

The goal of the WSF and Tampax Grants for Girls Program is to promote sports programs for young girls. Studies, cited by the WSF, show that young girls participating in sports have higher self esteem, and make more educated decisions when faced with negative behaviors like smoking, drinking, drug use and teenage sex. Studies also show that young girls that exercise as little as four hours per week reduce their chance of breast cancer by up to 60 percent.

When the Boys & Girls Club went from co-ed basketball to separate male/female teams the number of female participants doubled. The same increase and better is hoped for the introduction of a girls soccer program. Initial registration for the all-girls soccer program will take place in June. For more information on club sports programs contact Joe Russo, director of athletics, 671-1460, ext. 21.

The Boys & Girls Club is located at 135 Forest Avenue in Locust Valley. The club, established in 1950, serves close to 175 youngsters daily and has an annual membership of over 900. The mission of the club is to inspire and enable all young people to realize their potential as productive, responsible and caring citizens and community leaders of tomorrow. The club is supported primarily through contributions and special events.

Other club programs include the Stock Market Game, SMART Moves (an alcohol, drug and delinquency prevention program), basketball, baseball, softball, power hour homework help, computer classes, tutoring, arts & crafts, summer day camp, gymnastics, teen programs, community service clubs, and Friday night social activities. School year club hours are from Tuesday to Friday, 3 to 9 p.m. and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For more information about the club contact Marybeth Griffin, 676-1460, ext. 18.