{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://www.blunt.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/in-the-news?ContentRecord_id=66C100A5-D0A0-4691-BB29-7AFAC2776211", "Joplin Globe: Roy Blunt visits Joplin Boys and Girls Club", "2016-12-28", "2016", "2016-12", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Roy Blunt", "B000575", "www.blunt.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Emily Younker \n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\tSen. Roy Blunt, R-Missouri, dropped by the Boys and Girls Club of Southwest Missouri on Wednesday to tour the building and meet with some of the children who are spending their Christmas break there.\r\nBlunt said he and his wife, Abby,\u00a0every year\u00a0make a point to visit organizations in the state that do good work and could benefit from some attention.\r\n\"It's a good time to realize that just because the holidays are over, the need to give isn't over, and the need to be helpful either as a volunteer or a contributor is still there,\" he said.\r\nWith his wife and sixth-grade son, Charlie, in tow, Blunt\u00a0first stopped by a classroom of 5- and 6-year-olds, where he read \"House Mouse, Senate Mouse.\" The children's book tells the tale of a group of young mice who write to their legislative leaders to ask them to designate a national cheese.\r\nHe also toured the craft room, the computer lab and the gymnasiums before talking briefly with a group of older students. They were full of questions for him: How many presidents has he met? What was his favorite subject in school? Why did he become a senator? And does he get free food?\r\nBlunt said he enjoyed his half-hour visit to the Joplin club.\r\n\"I like kids; it's always interesting to see what the kids are doing and what they're interested in,\" he said. \"A couple of areas I've been involved in as a former teacher would be looking at ways to get parents more involved in what's happening in their kids' lives, (and) the kinds of things we could do to be sure we're looking at mental health as well as physical health as far as what kids need and what their families need.\"\r\nWhen asked whether he has plans to address those areas in Washington, Blunt pointed to the Excellence in Mental Health Act, which he helped introduce and pass into law in 2014. The act outlines a pilot program for eight states, including Missouri and Oklahoma, to be able to expand access to mental health services in community health clinics in 2017 and beyond.\r\nRhonda Gorham, executive director of the Joplin Boys and Girls Club, said she was happy that Blunt made the organization a stop on his goodwill tour.\r\n\"Any time we can get the media in here and share our story, I think that's great,\" she said, adding that the senator's availability to talk to and answer questions from the children there also provided them a good learning opportunity.\r\nThe organization hosts about 100 students during Christmas break at its Joplin location. At its peak, it serves nearly 400 students in kindergarten through 12th grade through its after-school programming at its Joplin and Webb City sites, with up to 200 additional children on a waiting list, Gorham said.\r\nFunding for the organization comes primarily from donors and grants. Gorham said she appreciated those who offered donations for Christmas, but she warned that January through March\u00a0\u2014 the months before the Boys and Girls Club's next big fundraiser begins\u00a0\u2014 can be financially stressful.\r\n\"We would love to see some monthly donors, and I know that's a huge ask,\" she said. \"And we could always use volunteers and mentors. I think people in the community have a lot to give.\"\r\nOther stops\r\nIn addition to the Joplin Boys and Girls Club, other stops on Sen. Roy Blunt's tour this week included the Boys and Girls Club in Columbia and the Ozarks Food Harvest in Springfield.  Click here to read more.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["http://www.blunt.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/in-the-news?ContentRecord_id=66C100A5-D0A0-4691-BB29-7AFAC2776211"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.3935030438005924, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}