CRESTVIEW — The Boys and Girls Club of the Emerald Coast still offers an after-school program in Crestview, but as of July 30, it moved to the Church of the Epiphany.
Walker Elementary School's Boys and Girls program began at the end of 2014, when the YMCA, which operated a similar program, declared bankruptcy. Walker Principal Lorna Carnley said the club's contract expired Aug. 1.
“We tried to renew our agreement with Walker Elementary but they decided to go in a different direction,” Boys and Girls Club CEO Shervin Rassa said.
Carnley said the school hopes to operate its own after-school program, which it has presented to the Okaloosa County School Board for approval. “We'll find out Monday night when the school board votes on it,” Carnley said. If that happens, she will make details of the approved program available.
Meanwhile, Cynthia Harrison, whose two children attended the Boys and Girls Club program, expressed concern. “We have no idea if a program is going to be offered to our children, where it will be held and who will be in charge of running this program,” Harrison stated in an email to school board member Cathy Thigpen. “Having a child that needs patience and accommodations, I cannot just throw him into any program. How am I supposed to find care in such a short time?”
The Boys and Girls Club also will pitch a community after-school program plan Monday night, but to the Crestview City Council. The club looked at several venues, including Twin Hills Park and the Crestview Community Center, before finding the perfect location, Rassa said. “Allen Park looks ideal for us,” he said. “We definitely want to provide services for the city.” The location is in an often underserved part of the community, Rassa said.
The club welcomes opportunities to expand its after-school program elsewhere, he said. “If there is dedicated space in the community where people are looking for us to do our services, we'd be glad to look at it,” Rassa said.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Walker Elementary's Boys and Girls contract not renewed; school board to vote on alternative program