Antone Raymus would be pleased.

The old Manteca News building on the southeast corner of East Yosemite and Fremont avenues has been bought by HOPE Family Shelters with the help of benefactors for use as a permanent home for the Friday Unity Night (FUN Club) in the Neighborhood.

Plans call for the FUN Club to operate a five-day-a-week drop in center for kids using a format similar to the Manteca-Lathrop Boys & Girls Club.

Details for the programs are still being worked out. The Rev. Quincy McClain, who along with the Southside Church congregation launched the FUN Club seven years ago in response to a challenge issued to the community by then Manteca Police Chief Dave Bricker to provide at risk youth with additional alternatives to gangs, will oversee the operation.

The Manteca news building is also where Raymus and his wife Marie launched the Give Every Child a Chance free tutoring program using $300,000 to bankroll the venture that now serves close to 5,000 students a year.