Supervisor wants local Boys, Girls Club
District 5 Supervisor Jaime De La Cruz and a group of
like-minded citizens are pressing for the creation of a Boys and
Girls Club of America (BGCA) in San Benito County.
Supervisor wants local Boys, Girls Club
District 5 Supervisor Jaime De La Cruz and a group of like-minded citizens are pressing for the creation of a Boys and Girls Club of America (BGCA) in San Benito County.
De La Cruz acknowledges that San Benito County already offers young people many options for activities, but he sees a need to reach out to at-risk youth and lower income families, who likely cannot afford to pay for the existing youth activities.
BGCA provides after school sports and activities for kids who might not be able to afford such programs otherwise. Such programs are particularly valuable for the community’s poor and traditionally underserved Latino families, said De La Cruz. Many of the families live in his supervisorial district five, on Hollister’s west side.
However, the YMCA currently has after school and summer programs and activities aimed at giving youths a safe and structured environment in which to play and learn.
Advocates for a BGCA stressed that while YMCA serves a need in the community, it is more of a family-based organization and is also a fee-based program, with activities ranging anywhere between $25 and several hundred dollars depending on what is offered.
BGCA offers the majority of its programming free of charge to all its members and serves school-age youth, especially those who have the fewest resources and face the greatest obstacles.
Many of the programs that BGCA offer are similar to programs offered by the YMCA.
San Benito County YMCA Executive Director Lou Bettencourt said 25 to 30 percent of YMCA participants receive some form of financial aid, which can cover as much as 50 percent or even entire costs of programs offered.
“We work with County Workforce Development to provide financial assistance to all those who need it. We try not to turn anyone away for lack of finances, but we could always do more,” said Bettencourt.
Additionally, Hollister Recreation offers a variety of sports and youth-based activities including karate, photography, cartooning, dance and the usual assortment of sports.
Typically activities range from $58 to $65 in price and the Recreation Department offers a scholarship program for anyone with financial need. The program offers up to $100 per child or $200 per household, said Sarah Mullen an office aide at the Recreation Department.
De La Cruz said that his intention is not to take away from the work that the YMCA is doing.
“This is one tool for reaching at-risk kids, a Boys and Girls Club is a perfect fit for these types of kids,” said De La Cruz.
One of the biggest reasons that a boys/girls club might be beneficial is for gang prevention.
“We have a burgeoning gang problem in this community. I live blocks away from where the gang jumping in happened a few weeks ago [Fourth of July weekend] and near where a teen was run over in another act of gang violence. These problems are growing. One of the things that a Boys and Girls Club offers is gang prevention through targeted outreach. Through the schools at-risk delinquents are identified and instead of sending these youths to juvenile hall, they’re recommended to clubs where they can be shown another way of life,” said District 5 Planning Commissioner Mike Smith.
Salinas opened a Boys and Girls Club three years ago to great success, said Smith. A phone message left for the Salinas club director was not returned, so it is unclear how that particular club has affected Salinas.
The first step to getting a BGCA would be to conduct a feasibility study to see if the community could handle a YMCA and a Boys and Girls Club. The feasibility study would cost $30,000.
One of the first things that BGCA looks at before they ever consider setting up a new, stand-alone facility is whether a community can partner with an existing facility, said BGCA Regional Services Director for Northern California Steve Ratto. Currently there is a club in Salinas, so San Benito County could look into the possibility of partnering with that club.
Ratto explained that even if San Benito partnered with another club, the local club would still have its own facility and would still need to meet the requirements of starting a club.
The feasibility study will tell the supervisors not just whether a BGCA is warranted, but also if there are indeed enough activities for youth to participate in within San Benito County, said Smith.
It is unclear, since the Board of Supervisors hasn’t even officially discussed the idea where that money would come from, so at this point it’s a wait and see situation.
