AFES "BLING" After School program Making future shines 1 kid at a time:   Will start on the 1st day of school and run until the last day of school. By the FOrt Dodge Public School system calendar.   Our new location 712 3rd St. N.W. Fort Dodge. ( old Hillcrest school)   Transportation provided from all Fort Dodge School: Duncombe Butler Riverside Feelhaver Cooper Phillips Fair Oaks      This program runs Monday - Friday from 3pm - 6pm. Winter Months We are open till 7pm.   This started as a middle-school program which, for several years, has provided a safe and fun place for 5th – 8th graders to get help with homework, participate in daily skills groups, and get an after school snack. It's evolved to be an K - 8th grade program with transportation from all elementary schools in Fort Dodge, Including St. Edmond's. Target Group: K - 8th grades Involvement depends upon a Sliding Scale Fee (depending on free, reduced lunch, or regular lunch). We also are open on early-outs and scheduled non-school days, including most of Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks.   BLING SUMMER PROGRAM: K-8 program that runs Monday - Friday in the summer from 6:30am - 6:00pm. Kids get breakfast, lunch and an afternoon snack. They work daily on academics, with an emphasis on reading. They also get trips to local parks for recreation, and out-of-town field trips. -Fort Dodge Messenger words and photo by Angela Burch Martavius Gully is all smiles when he goes through the lunch line at AFES Summer BLING program Friday. Hailey Davis waits her turn in line. Linda Redman, left, one of the cooks for the summer day camp program, said each of the meals has to have a food from each food group. Friday is always pizza day, but the apples and lettuce work to balance out the nutritional needs.

Charles Clayton, program director, said at least $130,000 is needed to keep both programs afloat for the next year. He continues to write grants looking for support, but said raising funds for summer camp is imperative to its survival.

Still, it's March, school is in session and youngsters attending the BLING after-school program worry about now.

"It's really fun," said 12-year-old Landon Smith. "We get to learn about Black History Month and all the things that happened in history in the past. And we have study time, so I get my homework done."

For 11-year-old Tay Johnson, the bank of computers available at the AFES building helps in her homework. She, too, actually enjoys the educational aspect of the after-school program. "I get a head start on my homework here," she said, as she looked up information on the city of Troy.

Mike Clayton 11, joined the after-school program in January because he "didn't know they had it till my friend told me." And while he likes the help he gets with his homework, he enjoys playing ping pong the best.

All three are sixth-grade students at Fair Oaks Middle School, and all three attended camp last summer. They agree they'd be lost without the after-school program.

"I'd have to go home and tend to my little sister," Tay said.

"And I'd have to walk home and sit down and do nothing," Landon added. "My life would be ruined if I didn't come here."

Although he's been part of the program for just two months, Mike is certain he'd be upset if he didn't have it. "I'd probably be mad because I wouldn't have anything to do after school. It would be boring to sit in the house all day."