B&G Club of SC

2025 marks the twelfth year for Emmy Rogers serving as the Resource Development Director for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Saline County, and she says she has loved every minute of it. 

“It’s a privilege to be able to help the community, the kids and the families,” Emmy said. Originally from Texas, after graduating from the University of Oklahoma she spent a year interning in Tennessee as a Marketing Coordinator for an IT company. The company helped raise money for the Tennessee Children’s Hospital, and as the Marketing Coordinator she worked closely with the hospital’s resource development team. 

“It became clear to me pretty quickly that my strengths and passions would best serve in a capacity where I could help people,” she said. 

Emmy’s parents had moved to Little Rock with her younger siblings, and upon completing the Fellows Program, Emmy decided that if she could find a job in fundraising for Arkansas Children’s Hospital, she would move to Little Rock and start her career. “There was no better education in the fundraising field than ACH,” Emmy said. 

“The leadership and team of committed professionals made my four years at ACH so impactful and also gave me the ability to eventually translate those skills to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Saline County.” The Club had been looking for a fundraising professional and Emmy felt like the knowledge she had gained at the hospital would benefitthem in exciting and valuable ways. And it turned out to be the perfect fit!

“I’ll always have that Texas pride in my heart, but there is something so special about Arkansas,” Emmy said. “I have grown to love Benton, not just for the Club, but the community. Everything has become home here. I have three kids, two in the Benton School District and one not far behind! I love that they are being raised with strong family roots and the small-town life that Benton has to offer. I have enjoyed seeing the amazing amount of growth that has happened in Saline County since I moved here thirteen years ago. I always tell people the biggest perk of my job at the Club is getting to see my kids get off the bus and run into my office to tell me all about their day. I don’t take that for granted as a working mom; it means the world to me. They come to my place of work after school, and in the summer, they get fed and loved, they make friends and play sports, and then they come tell me all about it.”

Many programs the Club offers are valuable to Saline County, and Emmy feels that not everyone may know what those are. Extracurricular activities can get expensive, from music lessons, dance, or sports, and parents can quickly feel the financial burden of their kids’ interests. 

To help with this, the kids who come to the Club have access to piano, guitar, art, dance, and cheer lessons. “My 10-year-old daughter started playing the piano at the Club with our music instructor and performed in her first recital this past Christmas,” Emmy said. “This is a program offered to all members just for coming to the Club after school.” 

The music classes are a “perk” of being a Club member, along with other programs such as robotics. The kids who joined the robotics club were able to show off their skills recently at the annual Justin Moore benefit concert, along with a staff member who claims to have discovered her art passion at the Club, and one teen Club member who showcased his singing skills in front of more than 1,000 people. 

“These opportunities might not have been possible for these kids and others just like them if it had not been for our after-school and summer programs.” Emmy said.

The Boy and Girls Club also offers a great scholarship program called “Gateway to Great Futures,” which grew from the organic roots of generous Saline County. “We had donors over the years who just wanted to help somehow; they wanted to make a difference with their donation, and so they might ask to anonymously sponsor a kid coming after school or in the summer. We’ve had such an overwhelming response and people have expressed such joy of giving to that program that it’s grown into what it is today,” Emmy said.

Gateway Bank also made a financial contribution that paved the way to the scholarship program, and the Club will never turn a child or family away that needs or wants to be a part of the Boys & Girls Club. “The generosity of this community has given us the ability to offer financial assistance in a sustainable and uniform way,” Emmy said. “One of my favorite things about fundraising is giving the donors an opportunity to experience the joy of giving.”  

The Athletic program is also a big hit with kids who attend the Club, and they can choose from basketball, soccer, and flag football. “We want to make sure these programs are available to anyone who wants to play, so we started a scholarship program for athletics as well,” Emmy said. “Our sponsors for each league make it possible to keep our programs the best they can be.”

Clearly, fundraising is a major part of keeping the Club successful, and the first official fundraising event for 2025 is the Valentine’s Dance in Hot Springs Village Wednesday, February 12, 2025, at the Coronado Community Center. All proceeds go to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Saline County, Cedar Mountain Club. Dinner and dancing will be the highlight of the evening with LIVIN’ THE DREAM reutning by popular demand! Tickets are $50 each and are available at https://hotspringsvillage.thundertix.com/events/222032.

“We are lucky to host events that have become staples within the community,” Emmy said. The 47th Annual “Leaders of Today and Tomorrow” Golf Tournament will take place Friday, April 11th at Hurricane Golf and Country Club. Visit www.scbgclub.com to sign up a team or player or to become a sponsor.

Other events throughout the year include a Gala in Hot Springs Village, a Car Show that was recently hosted at the Riverside Club, and the benefit concert with Justin Moore that just celebrated its 11th year of successful fundraising for the Club and the community. “We are so grateful to everyone who supports us through these events, and we are excited to host them again,” Emmy said. “We hope to see you there!”