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Somis Boys & Girls Club is thriving
At just about any given time, Torres knows the whereabouts of her young charges as they come and go from the center to the playground to the restrooms. The flurry of activity on a recent Thursday is typical for the afterschool club that is flourishing after less than a year in operation. The club has a membership of 130 children. Torres is quick to point out that not every member comes every day. The club, which opened in February, sees a daily average of 65 to 70 children, students from kindergarten through eighth grade Somis School. Government grants to the Somis Union School District and Boys & Girls Club of Camarillo made opening the club possible. But officials underestimated the popularity of the after-school club with parents and children. When applying for the grant they indicated 40 children would sign up. And although attendance far exceeds that figure, grant money is based on the original figure of 40 members. Torres said that means getting the most out of every dollar; any other option would be unacceptable. "We'll never turn any kid away," Torres said. The club was recently awarded another grant and can now stay open on winter and spring breaks and possibly during the summer. The grant also means the Somis club can form an advisory board, although it will still operate under the auspices of the Boys & Girls Club of Camarillo. Somis club members can use educational software or go online to research classroom subjects in the computer lab. They can have a snack, get help with homework from a certified teacher's aide and read books in the school's library. But when asked on a recent evening what was their favorite activity, most children said the playground games. Torres attributes the popularity of outside activities to Ray Franklin, the athletic coordinator. "They love him," Torres said, adding that the children cried the day Franklin was out for a family illness and didn't come to work. Franklin thinks the variety of different games he plans every day has won the children over. Sometimes he has the children spell words or solve math problems with chalk on the concrete; other times they play kickball or Red Light/Green Light. Winners get candy or a small toy prize. Standing more than 6 feet tall, Franklin looks more linebacker than game coordinator. His imposing size doesn't intimidate the children, however. Franklin said one day a young girl tugged on his jacket and surprised him by asking for a hug. Franklin, who had worked for several years in the juvenile justice system before coming to the club, said few people are better at controlling children than Torres. "I've been doing this for 14 or 15 years; and I've actually learned more from her than from any other supervisor I've had," Franklin said. Torres is herself a product of the Camarillo Boys & Girls Club. A member since she was 6, she was working for the club parttime by the age of 14. When the Camarillo club opened the club in Somis, Torres was appointed coordinator. Torres, who grew up in Camarillo, said she's discovered that more than half the residents of Somis are migrant field workers in need of child care after school. "They were all so grateful we were here because they don't have anything like this in Somis," Torres said. Somis resident Christine Gomez works for a Thousand Oaks insurance firm and said without an after-school club her children would probably have ended up at her mother's Camarillo home. But since her mother works full-time, Gomez said she didn't know how her children would have made it there. "This is really, really a good place," said the mother of two boys. "I don't know what I would have done, seriously, honestly." Club membership costs $5 a year and is limited to Somis School students. The club, however, plans to open up its services to all Somis children. For more information, call Melissa Torres at (805) 386-5711, ext. 24. |
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