Fun Times Ahead

Recognizing the need to keep children safe and supervised during the long school vacation, The Times Valley Edition published the 20-part Summer for Kids series that ended Friday. The neighborhood programs featured in the series nurture children by providing them with organized activities and events throughout the summer. Here is a summary of the programs as well as an information coupon below explaining how to donate to them.

Boys & Girls Club of Burbank

(818) 842-9333

Burbank youths can spend up to six hours a day at the club this summer, all for the price of a $15 annual membership. Sports is the main draw for active kids who can play everything from foos ball to basketball to chess in a single afternoon. The club also offers arts and crafts and academic tutoring. Trips to Raging Waters, Knott’s Berry Farm and Yosemite National Park are planned.

Boy & Girls Club of Santa Clarita

(805) 254-2582

Teen leaders at the Boys & Girls Club have compiled a list of summer job opportunities for Santa Clarita teens interested in earning some money. But work is far from the only focus at this club, where the $12-a-year fee includes year-round transportation from local schools. Basketball, volleyball, table tennis and art projects are on the agenda, as are field trips to museums and Dodger Stadium.

Boys & Girls Club of the San Fernando Valley

(818) 896-5261

The coming months are good for business at this club that doubles in size from 100 to 200 members in the summer. Instead of watching TV at home, for $12 a year ($3 for low-income families), kids this summer will play on a four-team basketball league and attend ceramic and airbrush painting classes. Of course traditional club fare is also scheduled: shooting pool, time on computers and field trips.

Burbank Family YMCA

(818) 845-8551

About 200 youths take to the rink for the YMCA’s youth roller hockey league. This summer, kids also have the chance to play in coed basketball and indoor soccer leagues. They can also learn karate, dance, aerobics and boxing. The center has a one-week overnight camp in Tehachapi. Camperships are available for youths who need financial assistance.

Devonshire Police Activity League Supporters Youth Center

(818) 756-7752

The North Hills Youth Center provides a safe haven from gangs for kids who live in troubled neighborhoods. More than 60 young people visit the center from noon to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday. Center regulars learn karate, fishing and how to use a computer. Field trips to see IMAX films and check out Coast Guard operations are also popular.

Fun Under the Sun Day Camp

(818) 753-9222

For summer camp traditionalists, the day camp at Cal State Northridge’s Student Union hits all the high points. The eight-week program costs $240 per two-week session and includes weekly field trips to such attractions as Universal City’s Wizardz Show. Swimming, tie-dyeing and nature-themed art projects are part of the package, also offered at Pierce College in Woodland Hills and College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita.

Glendale Parks, Recreation and Community Services Division

(818) 548-2000

The “Parks Creating Futures” free drop-in program strives to be a well-rounded educational experience. To that end, trained specialists in areas such as visual arts and drama will help from June 22 to Sept. 5 at Maple, Pacific, Fremont, Montrose, Palmer, Glenoaks, Carr and Dunsmore parks. Glendale also offers an $80-a-week day camp for children ages 6 to 11 at Brand, Dunsmore and Verdugo parks, the last being the site of a teen camp.

Glendale YMCA

(818) 240-4130

For aspiring gymnasts, the Glendale YMCA is the place to be. For $55 a month, young athletes can take biweekly lessons in a gym outfitted with a trampoline, parallel bars, horse, beams and practice floor. The YMCA also offers day camps, summer basketball and recreational swimming. It has camperships available for those who need financial assistance.

Guadalupe Community Center

(818) 340-2050

This Canoga Park center is credited by some with turning their lives around. Older kids at the center help youngsters with homework. Basketball tournaments and folklorico dance classes are standbys. This summer, trips are planned to Magic Mountain, the Getty Center, Zuma Beach and Dodgers games. Project Amigos, in which LAPD officers work with at-risk youths, is an integral part of the center.

Halcyon Center of Child Studies

(818) 781-7554

Arts are the focus for this summer program. Classes emphasize creativity and expression. Founded in 1982 as an alternative to sports-oriented programs, Halcyon offers classes in acting, mural painting, puppetry and creative writing. Classes, $30 each, are held for 10 weeks, Monday through Friday, in cooperation with Actor’s Alley at North Hollywood Park.

Mid Valley Family YMCA

(818) 989-3800

For $100 a week, children from kindergarten through seventh grade can attend day camp at the YMCA in Van Nuys or at four elementary schools: Chandler, Dixie Canyon, Kittridge and Sherman Oaks. Activities during the 11-week camp include trips to the L.A. Zoo, Chinatown/Olvera Street and Hurricane Harbor. A one-week sleep-away camp for fourth- through eighth-graders goes to Big Bear, and one for teens is held on Catalina Island.

Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks

(818) 896-6510

The city’s Department of Recreation and Parks runs 47 San Fernando Valley summer park programs. At Hubert Humphrey Park in Pacoima, for example, child-care is the main component, but children who attend concentrate on having fun. Activities from bowling to roller-skating are planned for the summer as well as trips to Catalina Island, Knott’s Berry Farm and Venice Beach.

North Valley Family YMCA

(818) 365-3231

Camp days at the YMCA in Mission Hills are filled with basketball, board games and educational field trips. Day campers also have a chance to spend a week away at Camp Whittle near Big Bear where they can participate in horseback riding, practicing archery and singing around the campfire. Fifty camperships each year go to families who can’t afford to send their children away to camp.

Pacoima Community Youth Culture Center

(818) 896-8878

Known for the high kicks of its Ladies First & II Hype, Dance, Drill and Gospel Team, the center offers something for everyone at its free on-site day camp. A new center will offer computer instruction for children and adults as well as karate and wrestling classes. And, of course, trips are planned to the beach, museums, theater and Magic Mountain.

Summer Shalom Project

(818) 830-4036

In a tough North Hills neighborhood, the Summer Shalom Project teaches children conflict resolution. Each two-week session from July 4 through Aug. 31 at United Methodist Church builds trust and fosters communication through games and exercises. The program is free. Tutoring in reading and math also continues throughout the summer.

TeenAge Drama Workshop

(818) 677-3086

The six-week workshop, which costs $775, takes an intense look at the world of theater. Each morning begins with dance, acting and voice classes. The afternoons are filled with a choice of musical theater, improvisation or playwriting. The students, ages 12-18, are trained by CSUN theater instructors, secondary-school drama teachers and other professionals.

Valley Youth Services

(818) 904-2152

Summer playground programs will be held at more than 120 sites throughout the Valley. The free drop-in programs run June 23 through Aug. 14 at elementary and middle schools. The programs give kids a chance to play under watchful eyes. There will also be Saturday events and field trips, which may require fees.

West Valley Boys & Girls Club, Calvert Unit

(818) 340-0312

The program at Calvert Street Elementary School in Woodland Hills keeps kids busy with basketball, table tennis and pool. The summer program, which costs $240 per five-week session, offers daily movies, a cooking club and weekly trips to a local pool. There’s also a special track-and-field program for the girls who will get chances to set new records.

West Valley Boys & Girls Club, Columbus Unit

(818) 340-3561

Structure is the draw for kids who attend this $20-a-year youth center located in the old metal shop at Columbus Middle School. This summer, the center will be a place for arts and crafts, recreation and field trips. It is stocked with pool, pingpong and air-hockey tables as well as a computer lab.

West Valley YMCA

(818) 345-7393

Take your pick between two summer day camps: Sports Camp for first- through sixth-graders or Discovery Camp for kindergartners through sixth-graders. The camps cost $105 a week. Discovery Camp schedules three days of field trips and two days of other activities a week, including arts and crafts, cooking and sports. Sports Camp has two days of field trips and fills the rest of the week with athletics.

Some of the youths who have been profiled in the Summer for Kids series:

Rachel Barillas, West Valley Boys & Girls Club, Columbus Unit

Charleen Brown, Pacoima Community Youth Culture Center

Rolando Vasquez, Boys & Girls Club of Burbank

Sarah Shuttleworth, Halcyon Center for Child Studies

Crystal Rose McGinnis, Teen Age Drama Workshop

Bidou Minaise, West Valley Boys & Girls Club, Calvert Unit.