Marion County’s Boys and Girls Club has proven itself to be a pillar in the community. 

Beyond providing after-school care for children five days a week, the establishment has  hosted a Black History Month celebration this month, complete with a music performance and talent show.

The Boys and Girls Club has also been able to send some of their club members to the CF’s summer basketball camp.

These are just a few of the ways that the Club serves to bring the community together in impactful ways.

The latest in this effort has been Game Night, hosted every Tuesday and Thursday from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. The event started on the second Tuesday of this month, Feb. 9, and is planned to continue indefinitely. 

The flyer invites all to the Boys and Girls Club for a night of fun regardless of age, but especially young adults.

Game Night offers a lot to participants, seeing as it is a free event. Players have their choice of video games and board games to compete in. 

The flyer also mentions tournaments to compete in with a chance to win the “champion” title. The tournaments were in billiards/pool as well as Madden, a simulation football game that pits NFL teams against each other.

“To be honest, I was [excited],” said Jake, an attendee of Game Night. “But since I’m 20 my expectations were low.”

Jake got the impression that Game Night was geared more towards children than young adults. He recalls seeing mostly children coming in and out of the building despite being advertised as a get-together for young adults. 

This was enough to turn Jake away from the event. He had initially wanted to come to Game Night for the possibility of being named champion for one of the tournaments, but quickly lost interest when he saw no one his age participating.

While Game Night did draw an audience, it did little to bring its target audience into attendance, likely because of the same reason highlighted by Jake. 

Nonetheless, Game Night is a free event and fun for the whole family, and just the latest in the many events that the Boys and Girls Club of Marion County has in store for the community.