In the wake of news about the Sheldon Boys and Girls Club closing its facility, the CEO of its parent organization aimed to set the record straight on Friday.

Jim Wentworth, CEO of Boys and Girls Club of the Lowcountry, said the decision was made to switch programming from the site at 21 Agnes Major Road in Sheldon into Whale Branch Elementary School and Whale Branch Middle School so more students could be served.

“The Sheldon club is so remote,” Wentworth explained, “we were only getting on average 6-8 kids a day, and we knew that we could serve more kids if we served them where they are.”

Wentworth said his organization’s partnership with Beaufort County School District is already serving 50-60 children a day at Shanklin Elementary. A program at Broad River Elementary also has been successful.

“We could go from serving 6-8 kids to over 100,” he said about the move into Whale Branch schools.

Whale Branch school programming won’t begin until the fall, but children from Sheldon may apply to attend the summer programs at Shanklin or Broad River elementaries, he said.

Boys and Girls Club of the Lowcountry has about 1,000 registered members across its nine community-based programs. On average, about 600 students ages 6-18 are served by the organization on any given day.

Students are provided a healthy snack and are helped with homework in the after-school program, which also includes fun activities, arts and recreation. The programming also includes mentorship in health and character development and, for teen students, career mentorship as well.