By Jamie Ruff

Special to The Farmville Herald

Though Buckingham County Public Schools no longer provides transportation to the Boys & Girls Club in Scottsville, the organization will be able to provide its own bus service, the school superintendent said.

Buckingham schools is no longer providing transportation to the Boys & Girls Club “because of the shortage of bus drivers,” Superintendent Dr. Daisy Hicks said in an email.

Hicks said the system had no choice.

“We received two grants in which will tie up our drivers in providing transportation for our after school programs; therefore, it just was not feasible for us to provide this service,” the email continued.

Meanwhile, Hicks noted that the organization has been able to replace the loss since “the Boys & Girls Club has hired a driver and has a bus in which now they are providing transportation for the students to attend their program after school.”

Indeed, Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Virginia has prospered.

In June, it was announced that the club had received two gifts totaling $13.5 million from longtime supporters. The club said the gifts are the largest in club history and will help expand the Boys & Girls Club’s reach and help build futures for area young people.

The donations, from Merrill and Jaffray Woodriff, will go toward building and operating a new, free-standing club facility on the campus of Albemarle High School, Jack Jouett Middle School, and Greer Elementary School.

Part of one of their gifts will also provide long-term funds to serve the future needs of youth in the club’s service area, which includes the Charlottesville and the counties of Albemarle, Buckingham, Fluvanna, Madison and Orange.

A release from the organization about the donations noted the Woodriffs “primary interest continues to be allowing for a safe and supportive place for all kids, especially those who need us most, to flourish during out-of-school time. The Woodriffs have long recognized the growing out-of-school-time needs of area kids that have been identified by area public schools, local law enforcement agencies, and other youth-serving organizations.”

Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Virginia CEO James Pierce noted, “The Woodriffs have an exceptional understanding of the important role the club plays in the lives of kids who need us most. Their extraordinary gifts also highlight the significant and ongoing need that exists in our communities. Through such transformational gifts, the Woodriffs are making an important statement about the power we all have to make a difference by investing in the lives of young people who can make a difference in our community and in the world.”