CRESTVIEW — The Boys and Girls Club of the Emerald Coast’s after-school program has found a new home in Allen Park following unanimous approval by the Crestview City Council.
The program begins with Monday’s start of the new school year and will operate 2 to 6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. Daylong programs will be available on school holidays and teacher work days.
The Boys and Girls Club assumed the Walker Elementary School program upon the failure of the Emerald Coast YMCA. It has been operating out of the Church of the Epiphany since its Walker contract expired Aug. 1.
“Our mission is to inspire and empower all young people to reach their full potential,” Club Chief Executive officer Shervin Rassa said. “We’re not a swim-and-gym. We’re not a glorified babysitting program. We’re a youth development organization.”
The program expects to serve as many as 50 children in Allen Park once it’s up and running, Rassa said, and hopes to accept as many as 100 or more in the future.
SLIDING FEE SCHEDULE
Rassa said the BGC, as it’s familiarly known, accepts children from families of all financial backgrounds. A sliding scale determines monthly program fees, and typically ranges from $20 to $70, he said.
“Our program is open to every child,” Rassa said. “We have some nominal fees, but money is never an issue. We will never turn away a family.”
The Boys and Girls Club receives most of its funding from state and federal grants, fundraising, special events and dividends from its $5-6 million endowment.
Though the BGC owns a Duggan Avenue facility, upkeep and monthly operational expenses can top $400,000 a year, Rassa said, while a site-based program like Allen Park’s costs half that.
Rassa said the BGC is considering selling the Duggan Avenue property and creating an endowment with the proceeds specifically to operate a Crestview program.
‘A GREAT PROGRAM’
Assistant Public Works director Carlos Jones said his department, which oversees Parks and Recreation, supports the BGC proposal which would free up the part-time employee who runs the Allen Park youth recreation center.
“They (BGC) offer a great program,” Jones said. “It would help us out if our employee didn't have to be there all the time. We could use that employee to help us out with other sports programs.”
While the councilmen were generally receptive to Rassa’s proposal, Councilman JB Whitten specified in his motion to approve the program that non-BGC-member residents would not be precluded from using the youth recreation center during program hours.
Upon Rassa’s assurance that the BGC would seek a way to comply with Whitten’s concern, the council voted unanimously to allow the club to operate from Allen Park at no cost to the city.
WANT TO GO?
The Boys and Girls Club of the Emerald Coast plans to open its Crestview after-school program Monday at the youth recreation center in Allen Park on McClelland Street. For program and membership information, call 862-1616
AT-RISK IN CRESTVIEW
“Every child is at risk because there are so many negative stressers out there,” Emerald Coast Boys and Girls Club Chief Executive officer Shervin Rassa said.
Rassa provided this data:
700 Crestview children do not have an after-school program
1 out of 4 U.S. kids won't graduate high school.
50 percent of black and Latino kids won't graduate high school.
3-7 p.m. juvenile crime rate peaks
3 out of 10 kids will grow up obese or overweight
75 percent of BGC kids graduate on time and stay out of trouble
Email News Bulletin Staff Writer Brian Hughes, follow him on Twitter or call 850-682-6524.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview Boys & Girls Club after-school program starts Monday (VIDEO)