A lasting triumph
Fueled by donations, community center for youth opens in Ontario
By Katie Pizza
Argus Observer
Wednesday, December 17, 2008 12:32 PM PST
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| Boys & Girls Club of the Western Treasure Valley Program Director Kristi Wherry (left) and BGCWTV Executive Director Sunny Haynes stand by a welcome sign Tuesday morning. The Boys & Girls Club, situated at 2441 S.W. Fourth St., opened Tuesday afternoon and will serve as a gathering place for area youth who need a safe place to go after school. |
Ontario — An area youth facility lauded by both city officials and community members alike opened its doors Tuesday.
The Boys & Girls Club of Western Treasure Valley officially began to offer area youth a place to go after school at 2:30 p.m. The club, situated at 2441 S.W. Fourth St., offers foosball tables and board games as well as snacks and tutoring services, according to Boys and Girls Club of the Western Treasure Valley Executive Director Sunny Haynes.
Haynes, wearing a maroon Boys & Girls T-shirt, offered a tour of the two-story facility Tuesday, beginning at what she called the parents’ area, where two black benches sat surrounded by low white walls.
“Parents have to stay in this area,” she said. “You can’t go beyond this point without a background check.”
Inside the parents area, Haynes said a staff member will check in the Boys & Girls club members, by verifying the membership card issued to each member for $10 a year. Haynes said the center plans to offer bar code scanning of the cards in the future.
Past the parents’ area, three dining room table sets sat in the sunlight, awaiting the board games that can also be checked out for use in the facility with the same membership card. Beyond the tables are foosball, pool and air hockey tables — equipment that can also be checked out with the same card at a checkout desk in the corner of the room.
“Even if you just want to get a little foosball,” she said, “you have to use your card.”
Haynes said though the center currently has one pool table, it could use two more to help serve the center’s 100 members. Currently, the center employs a total of seven staff members, counting Haynes.
Haynes said she might increase that number depending on the amount of youth served. She said she would like to keep a 10 to 1 ratio of youth and staff.
Past the checkout desk, metal shelves lined the arts and crafts room, which is still in the process of being painted. Haynes said the center plans to offer painting, charcoal drawing and many other mediums.
“We just need to get some kids in here so we can see what they want,” she said.
However, some of the older youth, she said, just want to hang out. The Boys & Girls Club has that covered as well.
Haynes highlighted a “hang out” area for high school and middle schoolers on the second floor, complete with couches and chairs.
Though a television is nestled in the room’s corner, Haynes said TV-watching is not the focus of the center. She spoke highly of more social activities offered by the center, such as board games, pool and air hockey. However, she is not willing to count out electronics entirely.
“We need a video game console, preferably a (Nintendo) Wii,” she said, admitting the gaming console is a bit on the pricey side. The consoles normally range from about $250 to $300.
Haynes said she believes the system would be a good fit for the club because gamers have to move around more than simply sit passively as they do with other consoles. She also requested video game donations, though she asked they be non-violent, keeping in the theme of the Boys and Girls Club.
Beyond the hang-out area, Haynes spoke highly of the classroom area, complete with desks, books and a chalkboard. Haynes said the area was set aside to allow Boys & Girls club members to meet with a staff member for tutoring. Multi-colored books peek out from shelves, with more books waiting to be unboxed Tuesday morning.
“Everything you see has been donated,” Haynes said.
Haynes said the Boys and Girls Club will be open on school days from 2:45 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. and on non-school days from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Boys and Girls Club of Western Treasure Valley Program Director Kristi Wherry said she was excited for the center’s first day. Haynes said the opening was made possible because of a temporary permit from the city of Ontario, which allowed them to open their doors as they wait for a permanent permit from the city. Also temporary, Haynes said, is the building itself.
“What it doesn’t have that we need is a gymnasium and a kitchen,” she said.
However, the building on Fourth Street is currently home to the center, which will start offering six to eight week programs after the first of the year. One of those programs, she said, is the Skills Mastery and Resistance Training (SMART) Moves program, which helps youths say no to alcohol, drugs and other risky behaviors.
For more information about the Boys and Girls Club of Western Treasure Valley or to see the complete “wish list” visit www.bgcwtv.org.
