Help at the holidays: Boys & Girls Clubs provide positive place for youth
| Wednesday, Nov 25 2009 12:49 PM
Last Updated Wednesday, Nov 25 2009 12:50 PM
How to help
Bakersfield is a generous community, particularly during the holidays. To help readers find new ways to give back to neighbors and friends, The Californian is featuring a wide array of non-profit organizations this season.
Top needs at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Kern County throughout the year:
* Unrestricted cash gifts. "The more resources we have, the more kids we can serve," said Zane Smith, executive director.
* Vehicles, specifically passenger vans or SUVs. Used vehicles are appreciated. While Smith described them as a "big-ticket item," he added that the more vehicles the clubs have, the more children who can be transported to participate.
* Art supplies of every kind.
* Board games and sports equipment.
* Donated services of professionals, such as electricians, plumbers, contractors, mechanics and others who can be called upon as needed to perform repairs.
Learn more about the clubs at www.bgclubsofkerncounty.org or by calling 325-3730. The mailing address is Boys & Girls Clubs of Kern County, P.O. Bin 5J, Bakersfield, CA 93385. Donations also may be taken to the main club site, 801 Niles St. in Bakersfield.
Images
Henry A. Barrios / The Californian Abby Perez participates in a recent Boys and Girls Club of Kern County Thanksgiving Day activity in Bakersfield. The Bakersfield High student has become a leader in the club.
Henry A. Barrios / The Californian Abby Perez, 2nd from right, and other young people dance during a recent Thanksgiving Day activity at the Kern County Boys and Girls Club in Bakersfield.
Henry A. Barrios / The Californian Abby Perez, center, sister Maykayla Perez, left, and Chase Wheeler, right, who Abby says "is like my little sister," pose for a picture at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Kern County in Bakersfield.
When Abby Perez first walked through the doors of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Kern County, she came as a volunteer.
She spent two months donating time as a member of the Air Force JROTC at Bakersfield High, fulfilling required service hours.
But club staffers quickly asked her to stick around, and now the 15-year-old sings in the club choir. She mentors younger children. She competes in dodgeball tournaments. She's president of the teen program, allowing her to grow as a leader and, as she puts it, help people come out of their shells.
"It's a judge-free place," Perez said. "You get to be who you really are."
If not for the club, Perez said she'd likely just stay home. The club, she said, is a "positive place for me."
Perez is just one of about 3,200 children ages 5 through 17 who each weekday attend after-school programs offered at four clubs and 28 school sites in Kern County. The number of children served swells during the summer.
The clubs serve children from all walks of life, from those residing at the Bakersfield Homeless Center to those from middle-class families, said Zane Smith, executive director of the clubs.
"The kids who need us most find their way here," Smith said.
Holidays or not, the nonprofit organization can always use donations -- cash gifts and supplies -- to do more for more kids.
It costs $100 a month to offer each child services during the school year, and $100 a week when school's out, because then the kids engage in more activities for more hours. Ninety percent of the kids pay nothing; the other 10 percent pay a fee on a sliding scale, Smith said.
The $3.1 million annual budget supports the work of 268 employees working with kids. Eighty-six percent of the money goes to direct program services, Smith said.
The clubs' core programs focus on character and leadership development; education and career development; health and life skills; the arts; and sports, fitness and recreation.
"We approach youth development as a full customer service experience," Smith said. "We meet them and try to meet their needs."
Smith said staff members want children to benefit from new experiences and an environment where "it's family."
"One of the biggest challenges our kids experience is consistency in their home schedules," Smith said. "Kids count on it from us. We have staff who have been here for years. We provide the consistency."
Lest people think the kids at the clubs only "take" from the community, they're "giving" too, said Maggie Cushine, resource development director for the clubs.
For example, at the recent Artfest to raise funds through the auction of club members' artwork, the signature piece went for $1,000. Club participants also perform community service, from graffiti cleanup to setting up at events to mentoring younger children to collecting coats at a Condors game.
On a recent afternoon, youngsters at the Armstrong Youth Center on Niles Street in east Bakersfield completed homework, played games and met with adult leaders. Laughter sprang from an activity room.
Perez took time out of her busy schedule to talk about the doors the club has opened for her. Where else would she play a lead role in the musical "Grease?" Where else would she get such a boost to her confidence? How else might she have the chance to attend a leadership conference in another city with her adult mentors?
"I wish I had been here at a younger age," Perez said, a smile spreading across her face.
