Club Sports Help Keep Burbank Youths in Shape, Out of Trouble

Rolando Vasquez says there are lots of reasons to hang out at the Boys & Girls Club of Burbank, from the arts-and-crafts classes to the Power Hour tutoring program.

But one word sums up why he has made the club his second home: sports.

The 17-year-old Burbank High School junior--a recipient of the Boys & Girls Club 1997 Youth of the Year Award--says he can squeeze in foosball, pool, table tennis and basketball in the span of an afternoon. And with kids from ages 7 to 17 looking up to him, Rolando says he also relishes the role of mentor.

“I like that the younger ones look up to me like a big brother,” he said. “There are kids here who come from all backgrounds, and we don’t fight and we don’t get into trouble. We’re all friends.”

Club-goers pay a $15 annual membership fee and can spend six hours a day at the club all summer. Rolando and his friends are already getting in shape for the Boys & Girls Clubs’ game-room tournaments in nine-ball, table tennis, checkers and chess. The group will travel to Long Beach and other Southern California locations for the popular competitions.

For club members who relish outdoor diversions, trips to Raging Waters and Knott’s Berry Farm are already lined up, as well as a camping trip to Yosemite National Park.

“Kids who come here have the chance to stay away from drugs and gangs,” said Luis Mercado, program director of the Burbank club that serves 160 to 240 children a day during the summer. “They have a chance to meet new friends and be safe.”

Rolando, whom Mercado describes as a “born leader,” hopes to land a paying job at the club next summer, when at 18, he’ll have to retire as captain of the club’s all-star basketball team and move on.

“I’d like to continue here,” he said. “It’s where my friends are.”

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Wish List

Boys & Girls Club of Burbank

(818) 842-9333

* Arts and crafts supplies: $25

* Bulletin board: $88

* Picnic table: $60

* 6-foot folding table: $34

* Metal folding chairs: $15 each

* 4-drawer file cabinet: $120