— Muskogee’s Salvation Army Boys and Girls Club will be no more, officials said.

However, there will be an after-school program available, called  The Red Shield Club, said Capt. Ben Walters with the Salvation Army in Muskogee.

“We’re excited about this,” Walters said.

The new program will be open for children in kindergarten through fifth grade and costs $15 a week, Walters said, and the plan is for it to open  Aug. 22, the first day of school for Muskogee Public Schools.

The club will do many of the same things that were done with the Boys and Girls Club and will remain at 700 Independence St., he said.

Muskogee’s Salvation Army looked toward Bartlesville’s Red Shield Club for ideas, he said.

However, the Salvation Army needs help with funding for the program, so a “Beyond the Bells” dinner is being held at the Muskogee Civic Center at 6 p.m. Tuesday.

“That includes a prime rib dinner with all the fixin’s by Runt’s Bar-B-Q and a Swon Brothers concert,” said Vicky Spradling, a member of the Salvation Army Advisory Board in Muskogee. “We will also be having a live and silent auction.”

Corporate sponsors pay $500 for a ticket, which includes mention on the program and mention in a thank you that will be sent to the newspaper, she said. The deadline to purchase a corporate sponsor ticket is 10 a.m. Monday, Spradling said.

Individual tickets are being sold for $35.

The Salvation Army hopes to raise $20,000 for The Red Shield Club.

Tickets are available and can be purchased at American Bank of Oklahoma and Runt’s Bar-B-Q.

The Salvation Army served 2,482 people in Muskogee County last year, not including children and families provided with Christmas assistance, Spradling said. For information on the fundraiser, Spradling can be reached at (918) 348-6030.

Applications are being accepted for children to attend the after-school program.

For information, call (918) 683-7764, (918) 682-3384 or stop by the office at 700 Independence St. to fill out an application.

Reach Wendy Burton at (918) 684-2926 or wburton@muskogeephoenix.com.

If you go



WHAT: “Beyond the Bells” fundraiser dinner for The Red Shield Club, the Salvation Army’s new after-school program.

WHEN: 6 p.m. Tuesday.

WHERE: Muskogee Civic Center.

ETC.: Tickets for corporate sponsors cost $500 and must be purchased by 10 a.m. Monday. All other tickets are $35 each. The Swon Brothers will be performing, and Runt’s Bar-B-Q will be serving a prime rib dinner. A live and a silent auction will be held.

Information: Vicky Spradling, (918) 348-6030.