WHAT'S HAPPENING
• WHERE: Boys and Girls Club of Manteca
• LOCATION: 545 W. Alameda Street
• WHAT: Summer programs like Smart Moves, Healthy Habits and the Junior CSI Academy.
• WHEN: Smart Moves runs for ages 6-9 from July 18-22. The program is from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Ages 10-12 will follow from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.; Healthy Habits runs from August 22-26 for ages 6-8. The program is from 4 to 5 p.m. Ages 9 to 12 will follow from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.; Junior CSI Academy runs for grades 4-6 from July 18-22 from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.
• COST: The Junior CSI Academy has a fee of $1. Other programs included in price of $24 annual membership
• FREE BREAKFAST: 10 a.m. Monday through Friday free to anyone between 2 and 18. You don’t have to be a club member
• FREE LUNCH: 1 p.m. Monday through Friday free to anyone between 2 and 18. You don’t have to be a club member
• MORE INFO: Call 239-KIDS
Mark McCool doesn’t mind the blaring stereo, the shrieking laughter or the constant ebb and flow of kids that are coming into and out of his room.
As the temporary director of the Manteca Boys & Girls Club’s Teen Center, he’s just happy to see the kids enjoying themselves in a safe place. The teen center recently reopened for the summer after being shuttered for two years due to lack of staffing. McCool usually oversees the Lathrop site that is closed for the summer
If they were out on the street, he said, those laughs and those smiles wouldn’t be quite so common.
“What’s great about this is that it’s a positive, structured environment where they can be themselves and not have to worry about putting up that front that they do out there,” said McCool. “They can be themselves in here, and that would be impossible if they were out running the streets.
“I think that this place can be a lifesaver for some of these kids because they’re safe here and they realize that.”
And the number of kids that he sees on a daily basis is continuing to rise.
Through word-of-mouth and Facebook campaigns, the Boys and Girls Club is averaging nearly 40 more kids a day currently than they did at this point last year – with the number topping 180 kids on several days already. This past week, the club topped 200 youth in a single day. It is a number they haven’t reached in four years.
As many as 40 teens check in on a daily basis, and most take advantage of the special teen hours where the club stays open from 6 to 8 p.m. for those from 12 to 18.
But while the explosion in daily attendance means that those kids aren’t out on the street, it does provide some challenges for staffers who lost the added perk of having 15 San Joaquin County WorkNet workers assisting them during their peak summer months last year.
Most of the summer programs have already filled up. The several that are left – Healthy Habits, Smart Moves and the Junior CSI Academy – are filling up fast.
For Boys and Girls Club alum and Director of Operations Jon Cardoza, seeing the numbers of kids rise might present somewhat of a challenge but also signals that they’re doing something right.
“I’ve been ecstatic this whole summer,” Cardoza said. “I know from my experience that this place can have a huge impact on a lot of these kids’ lives. Seeing the numbers rise and the kids in here every day is a great feeling.
“We’re not going to get all of ‘em, but we’re going to get some of ‘em, and potentially save their lives.”
The Manteca Boys and Girls Club is located at 545 W. Alameda Street. It is open Monday through Friday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Members from 12 to 18 are allowed to stay until 8 p.m. Membership is only $24, and is good for an entire year from the date of purchase. For additional information, call (209) 239-5437.
