COSTA MESA : La Cueva Club Does Make a Difference

Children and teen-agers surround John LeVere every day of the week. He works for a day-care center in Costa Mesa. On weekends, he takes teens hiking, boating or to concerts.

But there was a time when LeVere wondered if he wanted to work with children at all. A trip to Mexico a few years ago was a turning point.

“I went down to Mexico to decide if caring for children was my true vocation,” LeVere, 37, said. “When I came back, I knew it was.”

In 1987, the day-care counselor went one step further. He founded La Cueva, which initially began as a youth baseball team in a Costa Mesa park.

There was unity among the teen-agers on the team despite their diverse ethnic backgrounds and lifestyles.

“When the baseball season ended, it seemed a shame to break up the kids,” LeVere said. “They were having a lot of fun together at the beach, picnics and things.”

Instead of disbanding the team, LeVere kept La Cueva going to keep the young boys and girls together and off the streets. “I could see that the club was making an impact on their lives,” he said.

Since then, hundreds of Costa Mesa youths have passed through the organization. Today, La Cueva (which in Spanish means “the cave”) offers academic tutoring, arts and crafts, music, sports and counseling--all at no cost.

The organization receives no city funds and survives with donations and volunteers. LeVere said the budget is $7,000 to $9,000 annually, with most of the money coming out of his own pocket.

Parents can’t always donate money, LeVere said, so they contribute things like the use of a boat for an outing, or some expertise--such as teaching the kids how to fish.

LeVere and his wife, Kimberly Claytor, 33, are the heart and soul of La Cueva. They met while counseling young adults and married soon after. Together, they plan La Cueva’s activities, including concerts, dances and mountain hiking.

Juan P. Martinez, one of the original members, said a lot of the newer members are attracted by concerts at Lions Park, which draw more than 100 youths.

Many La Cueva members have moved on to college. A few return and volunteer their time for the younger generation.

But not all of the former members have been successful, said Martinez, 21, a student at Orange Coast College.

“One person got involved in gangs and didn’t take the group seriously,” Martinez said. “He was one of the original members. When he changed schools, his personality changed, and he got in trouble. He’s in jail now.”

But there are others, such as Lupe Reyes, 18, who has returned to volunteer about 20 hours a week to La Cueva.

“It’s fun,” Reyes said. “I have met a lot of different people.”

“The organization has struggled and sorely needs volunteers,” LeVere concluded, “but when a former La Cueva member succeeds, it makes everything worthwhile.”