CABRILLO VILLAGE : Children Flock to New Center Just for Them

Cabrillo Village residents opened a long-awaited community center Saturday that will provide recreational space for youngsters age 14 and under.

During the inaugural festivities, about 60 of them played pool, table tennis and cards, while many of the 20 adults in attendance helped serve hot dogs and cookies.

“I’m excited because now we have our own place to play,” said 12-year-old Eleazar Martinez. “It’s our own club.”

The center, the result of a joint agreement between the city and the community, was created to separate younger children from older youths--including gang members, said J.J. Vaivao, a volunteer at the center. Cabrillo Village had one community center already, not far from the new one, but officials said it is frequented by gang members.

“We were really worried about innocent children being killed,” Vaivao said. “We have already had one innocent person shot around here, and we don’t want another one. They scared the younger kids and would teach them bad behavior.”

A former migrant labor camp, the poor, mostly Latino community was annexed by the city of Ventura seven months ago. Vaivao and other Cabrillo Village residents had lobbied for help from the city.

Youngsters who are 15 or older will continue using the original center, while younger children will use the new one, which is off Saticoy Street near the village’s only grocery store.

Residents donated the building, and the city is providing a part-time employee who will keep it open Mondays through Fridays from 3 to 6 p.m.

Although volunteers worked hard to clean the new center and ready it for its new role, it is a modest, windowless place that retains a slightly stale odor from its days as a storage facility.

At Saturday’s opening, though, that didn’t seem to matter to the children, who characterized the center as an appealing playhouse.

“I’ll come here every day to see my friends and play,” said 10-year-old Cindy Ramirez as she jumped rope with a friend. “It’s just like the Boys & Girls Club.”

Four Ventura firefighters attended the opening. As they parked a fire engine outside the center, they were surrounded by children who lined up for a closer look at the truck.

But playing wasn’t the only activity that interested the youngsters.

Raising money for the club was a priority for 11-year-old Cristina Vasquez, who, armed with brushes and brightly colored paints, was offering her services as a face painter.

“I can make you look like a tiger or an Indian, or a cat,” she said to a prospective client. “And it’s only 50 cents.”

Cristina, along with two other face painters, said they hope to raise enough money to take the children in the neighborhood to Universal Studios.