Parents Protest Ouster of Boys Club Director : Service: Children join criticism of Buena Park organization for eliminating job of a 30-year veteran. Officials say action was necessary to save money.

For seven years, Shirley Adams has been bringing her daughter, Tiffany, to the Buena Park Boys Club where the 17-year-old is a member of the wheelchair hockey team.

But on Wednesday, the Adamses weren’t there for recreation. They were there to lead a demonstration by more than 120 parents and youngsters who were angry because the man who supervised the wheelchair hockey team had been forced out of his job.

Bob Eastland, the club’s program director and a 30-year employee of the facility, was told this month that his position had been eliminated because of a budget crunch.

“The community is greatly affected by losing Bob,” Shirley Adams said. “We can’t let that happen.”

Club officials say that Eastland’s position was eliminated as part of a reorganization, emphasizing that he was not fired. President John Leland said the club has been on shaky financial footing for the past few years.

Eastland’s job may be split into two lower-paying positions which he can apply for, said Erik Larson, executive director of the club.

“It is unfortunate that the reorganization has to affect someone,” Larson said. “We feel bad, but we have to pay the bills.”

However, Eastland, who watched Wednesday’s protest outside the Knott Avenue club, disagrees with that description. “I was shocked,” said Eastland, who started working for the club as a janitor about 30 years ago. “(Leland’s) term is reorganization. What would you call it?”

Eastland, whose job as program director lasts through August, watched the demonstration and afterward helped pick up some litter left behind by the protesters.

“It’s kind of embarrassing, but it makes you proud,” Eastland said of the protest.

Eastland said he has not decided whether to apply for one of the lower-paying positions. Eastland and club officials declined to disclose his salary.

Parents say Eastland has been instrumental in starting many of the club’s athletic programs, including those tailored for the physically handicapped. Several of Eastland’s programs have won awards from both local and national athletic associations.

“We know if he leaves, the program won’t continue,” said Richard Derylder, 21, a member of the wheelchair hockey club.

Club officials say the reorganization will not result in the elimination of any programs.

Wednesday’s protest drew both former and current members of the club who had worked with Eastland.

“He used to always tell me to stay in school and get an education. And I did,” said Teresa Uresti, 27, who worked at the club about 13 years ago. “A lot of these kids think he is a hero.”

Many youngsters said Eastland was the reason they went to the club. “If Bob leaves we probably won’t come back,” Sheena Moore, 7, said.

Added Barbara Ermis, 11: “We are trying to keep Bob. He is nice to us. He has a really nice personality.”

After the protest, Leland met with a group of parents for about an hour to discuss the situation, but there was no change in the club’s position. More than half of the club’s $350,000 annual budget comes from donations, and in the last few years, “the donations seemed to dry up,” Leland said.

Financial problems are also forcing the club for the first time to charge youngsters an admission fee of $1 a day, he noted.