New pre-teen center opens June 19
Life will get a little more fun for kids ages 11 to 14 in
Hollister when the Drop Zone opens June 19. The center for ‘tweens
is the brainchild of the latest Leadership San Benito class. This
year the class members opted to take on three different projects
for the community and a committee of eight has been planning the
grand opening of a ‘tween youth club for months.
New pre-teen center opens June 19
Life will get a little more fun for kids ages 11 to 14 in Hollister when the Drop Zone opens June 19. The center for ‘tweens is the brainchild of the latest Leadership San Benito class. This year the class members opted to take on three different projects for the community and a committee of eight has been planning the grand opening of a ‘tween youth club for months.
The Drop Zone will be open every Thursday from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Hollister Community Center, 300 West St. with different snacks and activities each week. The opening night will offer a deejay, pizza and a chance to participate in board games or basketball. The event is co-sponsored by the Hollister Youth Alliance.
The idea came about as a way to offer a positive after-school program for an age-range that is sometimes missed by traditional options, especially those from families who may not be able to afford costly camps and sports.
With just more than a week to go, several committee members met Monday to discuss last-minute details. They held a training session for adult volunteers who will alternate Thursdays to provide supervision for the kids, and an informational meeting for others who are interested, but not ready to commit.
The goal is to offer the program free to children so the committee members – Tracy Young, Steve Loos, Diane Ortiz, Kim White, Julie Bonnet, Liz Garcia, Monica DeVries and Vanessa Esquivel – did fundraising before the grand opening. In February, they sold See’s candy just before Valentine’s Day and they followed up with an Easter candy drive as well. In addition, they have received donations from corporate sponsors such as DMB El Rancho San Benito, Hollister Ace Hardware and Graniterock, among other donors.
While they have planned activities and snacks for a month, the committee members stressed that they still need some help to make the program last.
“We’d like to collect more corporate sponsorships,” said Diane Ortiz. “And we need people to donate personal time or even supplies such as drinks. We want to offer it at no cost to the participants.”
The committee members and volunteers will use feedback from the kids to come up with future activities.
“I’d like to allow them to express what they like,” Ortiz said. “Like, ‘oh we’d love to do more cooking classes or that was a dud.'”
They will also give the ‘tweens leadership roles at the program, even if it is something small such as being in charge of handing out snacks.
At the end of each Thursday evening, the volunteers will tell the students about the following week’s activities in hopes of drawing them back again.
“It’s not just what we have planned tonight, but that we have something to look forward to next week,” Kim White said.
The Drop Zone will be open every Thursday from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Hollister Community Center, 300 West St.
For more information on participating, volunteering or donating supplies call Diane Ortiz at 636-2853 or visit www.hollisterdropzone.com.
