The Boys and Girls Club in Eau Claire says it's worried that recent stories about the groups national president might hurt local donations.

We found out where money donated in the Chippewa Valley goes and how it's used by the local Boys and Girls Club.

Around three in the afternoon each day kids start streaming in here at the Boys and Girls Club. Some play a few games, others play a little music.

"Here in Wisconsin we have 28 Boys and Girls Clubs with over 40 sites available for the youth of Wisconsin and all of those sites are serving their local communities," says Executive Director of the Boys and Girls Club of the Greater Chippewa Valley Sara Antonson.

She says only about $3,600 dollars a year go to the national organization from the Boys and Girls Club in Eau Claire. She says none of that money is from donations.

“Any money donated here for the club goes right here for our programming and for our kids," says Antonson.

Last Friday, four US Senators started asking questions about the Boys and Girls Clubs of America's National President, Roxanne Spillett. The senators claim she received more than $900,000 dollars in compensation in 2008.

They want to know how the organization accounts for perks like travel and lobbying expenses. They say they're worried about the use of tax dollars and the threat of clubs closing.

The Boys and Girls Club here in Eau Claire says almost 75% of its annual budget is made up of donations from corporations and individuals.

Craig Olsen is the President of the Board of Directors for the local Boys and Girls Club. He says the numbers the senators are putting out are not completely accurate.

“Any kind of large organization like this the compensation packages are so complicated to understand it's easy to just take a number and say the total is almost a million dollars when that's really not the truth," says Olsen.

The group says it costs about $518 dollars a year for one child to participate at the club but families only have to pay $10 dollars per-child.

"We'll never turn anyone away we offer scholarships but we'll never turn anyone away," says Antonson.

That’s why they want to make sure the controversy does not tarnish the good work being done by the organization. They also want to get the word out about how the local donations are being put to good use here in our area.

The Boys and Girls Club says some clubs around the country are in danger of closing because local donations are down.