Chanin Lathem

New Boys & Girls Club CEO pushing for funding in Arkadelphia

Chanin Lathem, who graduated from Arkadelphia High School in 2009, was recently named the new chief executive officer for the Boys & Girls Club of Clark County.
Chanin Lathem, who graduated from Arkadelphia High School in 2009, was recently named the new chief executive officer for the Boys & Girls Club of Clark County.

Before being contacted by the Boys & Girls Club of Clark County, Chanin Lathem wasn’t even aware there was a club in Arkadelphia, and he said that is part of its biggest problem.

“The community doesn’t know about the club as much as they should,” Lathem said. “Hopefully, that is something we are looking at doing, as well as making some small renovations and changes to the club, basically a face-lift.”

Lathem, who was recently named the new chief executive officer for the club, said that after the first of the year, “we are planning an open house for the community.”

“We are going to let some folks come in and take note of what exactly we have done and what we want to continue to do to better our club,” Lathem said.

Before being hired in Arkadelphia, Lathem served as a middle school minister in Texarkana,

Texas, for three years after graduating from Central Baptist College in Conway. He graduated in 2009 from Arkadelphia High School, where he played football, basketball and golf for the Badgers.

“I knew several of the board members, as well as some of the workers that are here,” Lathem said of his decision to come aboard. “On top of that, it was the opportunity to work with the community and, hopefully, better it and its future.”

Lathem is pursuing a master’s degree online from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.

“I was a middle school pastor to roughly 150 students, and I had staff that worked under me, in similar fashion that I have here,” Lathem said. “Budgetary wise, it is slightly different, but as far as planning programs, public relations and promotions, there is a lot that carries over.”

Lathem said he believes the club is “very much a ministry in itself.”

“We are starting whole new programs for students that are involved,” Lathem said. “We want to highlight emergency response in the city and highlight our colleges, and our education.

“We look to incorporate more mentoring and tutoring opportunities as well.”

Lathem said the club will be working with the Arkadelphia Parks and Recreation to start a student volleyball league shortly after the first of the year.

“The dates on that will hopefully be set in a week or two,” Lathem said. “We will be partnering with Henderson, for sure, and hopefully Ouachita Baptist College, as well, to help us with that.

“Hopefully, in the future, we will be working closer with the city to reach our young people and change our future to make a better Arkadelphia.”

The Boys & Girls Club of Clark County is at 1305 Caddo St. in Arkadelphia. The cost to enroll a child in the club is $50 a week per child, per semester. A snack and a meal are provided to each student. A website is scheduled to premiere by January. For more information, call (870) 230-1092.

Currently, the biggest hurdle for Lathem and the club is financial. Lathem said the club has only enough funds to make it to about mid-March.

“Our primary goal is to get financially stable,” Lathem said. “If we can’t get community support in terms of funding, if we can’t make that change, we will have to shut down.

“So first and foremost is to get the funding we need, to make the club something that will last.”

The main expense for the club is operating costs.

“We have to 70 to 80 students, two full-time staffers and four part-time staffers,” Lathem said. “So salaries and payroll in general take a large chunk of the small budget we have.”

Lathem and Amber Bailey, the club’s program director, are the only two full-time employees. The club operates out of a decommissioned gymnasium, so Lathem said other expenses include constant repairs.

“We have had issues with leaks, making paint changes and stuff like that …,” Lathem said. “We are talking about thousands of dollars, as well as everyday operating costs.

“We need to better our budget.”

The club doesn’t receive government funding, and Lathem said the club is not currently associated with the school district.

“We would like to soon partner with the district so we can get some funding, but the city doesn’t fund anything we do,” Lathem said. “Currently, we are fully grant- and donation-funded.

“The problem with grants, though, is that you can’t use any of that toward salaries. The grants you can write now go toward equipment for programs.

“But if we can’t afford to pay people to run those programs, then it is not beneficial.”

Lathem said having the deadline does get worrisome at times.

“I know that it is a task,” Lathem said. “I really feel like if the city can see the importance of the club, I don’t believe they will allow it to shut down.”

Once funding is acquired, Lathem’s next goal is to create awareness “that we are more than an after-school program or a day care system — that we are actually active in equipping the future of our young people, preparing them for college and preparing them for the work force …,” Lathem said.

“Those are the largest goals we can possibly instill,” he said. “To be an organization or club that is consistent in reaching our young people and our goal is to create the best possible programming and better the lives of students and the community.”

Lathem said the club is unique to Arkadelphia because while there might be other after-school programs, the club fits exactly what should be done to change the “future of this city.”

“I grew up in this community,” Lathem said. “And especially being a minister, I feel like too often, we neglect the needs of everyday people — people who most of the time, nobody notices that they have a need.

“It is easy to look at Arkadelphia and think that we are fine just the way we are, but the truth of the matter is, when we look at statistics, poverty numbers and high school graduation numbers, we are far and beyond the scope of underperforming in my opinion.

“This community deserves better and to achieve better. If you don’t start with the youth of the city, then you forfeit the next generation of its leadership.”

Lathem said that is what drives his passion.

“Most look at these young people as just kids,” Lathem said, “but these kids are the next business owners, bankers and lawyers.

“For me, I don’t want to be worried about my future. That’s a big part of what drives me to do my job and [work for] the impact that I am making.”

Staff writer Sam Pierce can be reached at (501) 244-4314 or spierce@arkansasonline.com.

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