North Kitsap received some great news this week as supporters of the Boys & Girls Clubs announced a potential partnership between an organization here and the club in Snohomish County.

The move would fast-track an idea that has been sidetracked for too long and would keep many of our kids from ending up on the wrong side of the tracks as well.

Now, more than ever, kids need our help.

They need after-school activities and a positive anti-drug message.

This sounds like something echoed for the past 40 years or so, but it is still relevant today.

The club touts itself as “The Positive Place for Kids” — we agree that this is exactly what North Kitsap needs.

Sure, there are numerous outlets for our community’s youth from sports and school-organized events to child care. A Boys & Girls Club would be a boon, nonetheless.

Why?

It would be one more safe and positive experience kids could enjoy. Furthermore, some 49 percent of the children served by the Boys & Girls Club’s programs are from single-parent households.

Our hats are off to these moms and dads. You know who you are and you know how tough and rewarding it is to be a single-parent.

Even so, wouldn’t it be great to know your kids were in a safe, positive environment right after school? Sure it would.

North Kitsap isn’t exactly the inner city but there are still plenty of risks out there. Plenty of problems that can be solved by some positive activities and — better yet — some positive reinforcement.

We want to see this partnership succeed and the kids of this community grow into adults that future generations will see as role models. While the Boys & Girls Club is not the sole answer to this, we feel, it is definitely a step in the right direction.

We support the Kingston-based effort and sincerely hope it becomes a reality for all kids in North Kitsap.

Keeping our kids safe and providing them the tools they need to improve themselves and their world should be a goal we all share.

We think the Boys & Girls Club can help us achieve it.

Indeed, now, more than ever kids need role models that don’t flash before their eyes on the television or in a magazine. They need real, tangible people to look up to. They need us.