The Boys and Girls Club of the Sandhills is hosting an open house event Saturday to celebrate "National Day for Kids."

"We're expecting a very good turnout," said Danny Stone of the Boys and Girls Club.

The event will take place from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Several vendors from the community will come out to participate. The club is at 160 Memorial Court in Southern Pines.

Among the participating vendors, First Tee will be setting up an area for golf lessons. The Southern Pines Police Department will bring its canine unit for the kids to see.

The coaches and players from the Pinecrest football team will hold a "mini-camp" and be available to the participants. The Moore County Health Department and Sandhills Pediatrics will also be conducting health screenings.

Free hot dogs and refreshments will be provided.

To promote the event, the club is distributing flyers to the local schools to give to every student. Stone said the initial reaction he has received so far has been overwhelmingly positive.

National Day for Kids is an annual event created by the Boys and Girls club. The Day for Kids Web site says it is held on the third Saturday of September and was "established to encourage kids and adults to spend meaningful time together." Millions of people across the country are expected to participate. It is the first time the Sandhills chapter has held an event on the holiday.

The mission of the Boys and Girls Club is "to enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens." The club serves some 4.8 million children in more than 4,300 locations across the United States. The club employs more than 50,000 trained professional staff. It aims to provide "hope and opportunity" to kids in a positive environment.

The Sandhills club opened in 1999 and has two units, one in Southern Pines and another in Rockingham. They now serve more than 700 members, averaging 150 kids daily during the school year and more than 220 during the summer. Plans are in the works to open a club in the northern part of Moore County in the future.

Contact John Krahnert at 693-2473 or by e-mail at jkrahnert@thepilot.com.