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The Girls Club was founded in 1990 by Ms. Debbie Miller,
assistant to the director at the Chapel. A very popular
group in the Upper Ohio Valley, the Girls Club is regularly
invited to dance in six to eight local holiday parades each
year. Rehearsals for the holiday season begin each fall
on the Sunday after Labor Day and are held twice weekly
until the parade schedule begins in late November.
There are 70-80 members of Girls Club.
The girls work as a group, deciding on music, choreographing
the routines, and picking uniforms. Their teamwork pays
off in the form of many performance awards from area parade
organizers. The girls' ages range from three to eighteen,
which creates an nvironment in which mentoring occurs naturally
and friendships grow strong.
After the dance season ends in
December, the group continues to participate in community
activities, service events, and educational programs. The
girls are active as leaders in other Laughlin Chapel programs,
including afterschool and evening groups, summer camp, and
the Chapel Corps program (housing maintenance and repair
for the elderly).

Young Lions is a mentoring program designed
to address the needs of boys as they grow into men and provides
preparation for adolescence and adulthood. The curriculum
is Christian and Afrocentric. It explores the spiritual,
cultural and physical rites of passage to manhood, in the
context of African-American heritage and culture. Boys are
paired with a suitable adult male mentor, creating a relationship
and an environment that promotes ethics, morality, and good
citizenship.
The mentors are trained to serve
as a resource and guide as Young Lions deal with issues
of self-concept, health, work habits, developing sexuality,
and the pressures of growing up. The program is for boys
in elementary through high school.
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