Bakersfield Life

Positive place for kids

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     Walk in the door and kids immediately know they’re in a positive place. Like the fictional “Cheers,” everybody knows their name and greets them, they’re enveloped in warmth, and they know they’ve come to a place where they can be themselves. That’s the atmosphere of the Boys & Girls Club’s Armstrong Youth Center. It’s the very climate that executive director Zane Smith wants to create.     “Social bonding and connection are primary,” Smith explained. “Our positive adult role models serve as mentors and have a meaningful impact on the future. We’re helping kids make positive choices as they grow.”       Art, technology and performing arts are emphasized and nurtured at the Niles Street club. Colorful murals painted by teams of kids decorate and enliven the walls as do paintings by individual club members. A state-of-the-art computer lab fuels kids’ natural curiosity and fascination with technology, and the IT coordinator is mentoring a teen club member whose goal is to someday run the tech center. The focal point in the main room, the stage is the home base for the club’s performing arts program.     “Our programs are ever-evolving according to the needs, interests and talents of kids and staff,” Smith said. “Because of the strong communication between staff and kids, we can make adjustments to accommodate kids’ individual needs, nurture their talents, build on their assets, and create new opportunities for them.”     The Stockdale Club opened in November on Young Street near Harris Road in southwest Bakersfield. Program Director Mike Espinoza is establishing the new facility’s place in the community and making a positive impact on the youngsters from seven nearby schools. Espinoza said, “I wake up smiling because I’m making an impact in the community and on someone’s life.”       Step into the Stockdale Club and be greeted by eggplant-colored walls forming a backdrop for an L-shaped bank of computers. A silver slogan painted on the wall inspires, “BE GREAT,” drawing from the Boys & Girls Club mission statement: “To enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens” adorns an adjacent wall. In the multipurpose room, brightly colored rugs designate areas for small group play, and there are spaces for art activities and recreational games.      The philosophy of the Boys & Girls Club sends it beyond the after-school programs that we’ve come to know. Smith said, “We focus on community wellness and inclusiveness, things that are good for the entire community.”  This drives Smith’s decision to collaborate with other social service agencies and community organizations. When county budget cuts threatened the probation department’s 25-year-old Youth Connection program, the Armstrong Youth Center agreed to house the program and provide an advocate. Thus, Youth Connection is able to continue serving at-risk youngsters.     The Boys & Girls Club lifts the community by working with young families. In non-peak hours, the Niles Street building welcomes preschoolers and their parents as a part of the Family Resource Center program. When the center lost its lease in a nearby building, the Boys & Girls Club reached out to them, providing office space and facilities for their morning family programs.      Partnering with the Spotlight Theatre was another endeavor aimed at keeping our community vibrant. The Boys & Girls Club provided kids and a rehearsal stage while the theater loaned their expertise and the space to produce a house-packing performance last winter. A second show is in the works for this spring — a junior version of Spotlight’s “History of Rock & Roll” on April 5.     The nurturing, positive atmosphere created at the Boys & Girls Club truly impacts kids and their life choices. Former club kids return to recount the great memories they have of their club days and to give back to the new crop of members. Many of those former members, who include military instructors, teachers, business owners, school administrators and college students, volunteer their time and donate goods and services to help keep the club’s legacy alive.     The Boys & Girls Clubs of Kern County serve approximately 3,200 youth at 32 locations. In partnership with the Bakersfield City and Lamont school districts, Boys & Girls Clubs run after-school programs at 28 schools. Next year they will incorporate 12 sites, then serving all BCSD elementary schools. There are also club sites in Frazier Park and Lamont.     Keeping things going takes creativity and money. Maggie Cushine, resource development director, finds ways to raise funds and maximize awareness about the Boys & Girls Club and its programs. “The events we do are great, but ultimately, their purpose is to help our mission,” she said.     Zane Smith added, “We raise funds but also raise friends, and the more friends we have out in the community, the better for our kids.”Upcoming Boys & Girls Club events Bakersfield West Rotary Cioppino Feed, benefits Boys & Girls Club and other youth charities, 6 p.m. March 6, Garces High School, Leddy Hall    $75.Boys and Girls Club Week, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. March 20 to 27, Armstrong Youth Center 801 Niles St. Free.Adult Dodgeball Tournament, 8 a.m. March 27, Armstrong Youth Center, Harvey L. Hall Gym. $150 for six-person team.Spring Break Kids Camp, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. March 29 to April 5, Armstrong Youth Center and Stockdale Club. $100.“History of Rock & Roll,” junior performance, 5:30 p.m. April 5, Spotlight Theatre. $5.Boys & Girls Club Annual Golf Tournament, 11 a.m. April 16, Sundale Country Club. $175 or $600 for four-person teamYouth Connection Dinner at the Derby, 6 p.m. April 23, Seven Oaks Country Club. $100 per person or $175 per coupleArtfest 2010, 6 p.m. Sept. 25, Moorea Banquet Centre. $50.