WOODLAND HILLS : Fund Drive Launched for Boys & Girls Club

Citing a growing gang problem in the West Valley, civic leaders have launched a campaign to raise enough money and find enough volunteers to bring a Boys & Girls Club to Woodland Hills.

The club would cater to West Valley youngsters ages 6 to 12, with the operation eventually expanding its services to young adults up to age 18.

The club would target at-risk youth, attempting to provide alternatives to hanging out and joining gangs.

Organizers hope that the club, which would be affiliated with the 1,200-member club in Pacoima, will open by next spring.

“People think everything happens in South-Central, and that’s just not true,” said Maria Lopez, regional service director for the Boys & Girls Club. “The economic background of a kid doesn’t really matter, they can still be at-risk for becoming involved in gangs.”

A 1991 study showed a demand for the Woodland Hills facility that is being proposed for a 2,000-square-foot area at Serrania Avenue Elementary School. Programs will include tutorials, athletics, computer classes, counseling, citizenship, arts and crafts, and music. Annual club memberships, which will include all regular programs and activities, are expected to cost between $10 and $15.

Besides planning several fund-raising events, the club’s board of directors is seeking personal and business contributions to fund the nonprofit organization, as well as volunteers to serve on the board or other advisory committees.

“It’s essential that all segments of the community embrace this plan,” said Bob Gross, a board member and president of the Woodland Hills Homeowners Organization, “so that we realize the opening of the club by 1994.”