Mayor Goes to the Mat to Try Out New Club
The Boys and Girls Club of Hollywood inaugurated its new $500,000 facility on Cahuenga Boulevard on Monday.
The 22,000-square-foot club, which serves 14 schools, already has 300 members and expects to sign up 700 more by the end of summer, said Executive Director Don Rodriguez.
“This area is in dire need of our services,” Rodriguez said. “Ninety percent of our kids are at poverty level or below.”
Children who can’t afford the $10 annual membership receive scholarships, he added.
The first floor of the club at 850 N. Cahuenga Blvd., features a game room, boxing arena and dance area. The upstairs houses a computer room, darkroom, music and tutorial departments, as well as administrative offices for the club’s four full-time staff members.
Mayor Richard Riordan, who attended the event, played basketball with some of the children, then climbed into the ring for a sparring match with club President William H. Braddock.
The round ended when the mayor, clowning around, took a fall. He got up unhurt--and smiling.
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