After-School Program Worth a Celebration

Creators of an after-school program at Oxnard’s Lemonwood Elementary School broke out party favors Wednesday to celebrate the success of a venture designed to keep youngsters off the streets and out of trouble.

Run by the Boys & Girls Club of Oxnard, the program was begun last year at the south Oxnard school and was the model for a similar after-school program at nearby Driffill School.

“We at Lemonwood have nothing but positive things to say about the after-school program,” Principal Edmundo Chavez told children, parents and other supporters who gathered for the afternoon celebration. “We are delighted. It’s a real gem in our community.”

More than 400 children participate in the program at the two elementary schools. Free to children ages 6 to 12, the program allows children to remain at the schools for supervised play or homework until 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

County Supervisor John Flynn’s office raised about $32,000 to get the effort off the ground last September, and the city of Oxnard has provided about $100,000 in federal block grant money to keep it going.

“We would like to see this program in every school in our area,” Flynn said. “It really is wonderful.”

That’s what Shannon Franklyn says. The 11-year-old sixth-grader at Lemon wood volunteered to say a few words about the program.

“I speak for all the kids who come here when I say this club is great,” he said without a hint of nervousness.

Shannon’s grandmother, Mary Anger, sat back and smiled. She said the program has been invaluable for her grandson. “Since being in the Boys Club, he has just made a tremendous turnaround,” she said. “It’s exactly what he needed. He gets his homework done, he plays games and learns how to be with other children.”

Supporters of the after-school program used the celebration as an opportunity to raise money to expand the effort.

Another after-school program is scheduled to start up in a few weeks at Mar Vista School in south Oxnard. That program will be available to elementary as well as junior high students.

“We wanted to say thank you to all of our supporters,” said Abe Oliveras, executive director of the Boys & Girls Club of Oxnard. “But we also wanted to let the community know that we need support if the program is going to continue.”