The Boys and Girls Club of Whitehorse has reopened its doors after the Yukon government agreed to infuse the insolvent organization with $50,000.

The club was forced to close Dec. 14, citing insufficient funding; there was not enough money in the bank to carry the youth centre on Olgilvie Street through to the end of the fiscal year in March 2010.

Even an advance on the last instalment of the club's $110,000 worth of territorial funding was not enough to keep it afloat.

In previous interviews, Dave Blottner, the club's director, has estimated it would take $231,000 to provide full-service operations and that $140,000 (which includes $30,000 contribution from the city) is simply not sufficient.

While the club has asked that its territorial funding be doubled for next year, this 11th-hour bailout is a separate deal, Gord Kurzynski, manager of the government's Youth Directorate, told the Star today.

"I guess you could describe it like that,” said Kurzynski when asked whether this is a one-time funding.

Dave Blottner, the club's executive director, said the emergency funding gives him hope that the government will come through with more money later.

"I think this is a good first step .... Clearly it shows the Yukon government does value the services we provide,” Blottner told the Star this afternoon.

According to Blottner, word of Monday's reopening spread quickly and 15 kids showed up at the club yesterday evening.

A statement the club distributed Monday quotes Tony Zedda, president of the club's board of directors, thanking the Yukon government "for their hard work and assistance at this critical time.

"We would also like to thank the people of Whitehorse who so quickly came to our aid, offering support, donations and volunteering time to keep us going during this difficult time,” Zedda adds.

The release indicates the centre will be "fully operating again early this week ... including outreach programming, which offers hot meals to youth, and hot soup for the outreach van.”

The hours of the club, however, will remain at their previously reduced levels – Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. – a cost-cutting measure that failed to prevent what transpired at the beginning of last week.

The decision to pare hours was made in September. Blottner said $231,000 would allow the club to operate seven hours a day, Monday to Friday.

Kurzynski said any decision on increasing funding to the Boys and Girls Club would come with the 2010 Yukon government budget.

The Youth of Today Society and Bringing Youth Towards Equality, both of which receive $110,000 annually from the territorial coffers, have also asked for their funding to be doubled.

In other funding news for youth organizations, the Youth of Today Society received $16,412 from the Yukon's Community Development Fund to design and build a recreation/multipurpose room and a boot room at the society's new digs on Jeckell Street.

The project will create 410 hours of employment for three people.