Boys & Girls Club to expand into La Crescenta with after school programs
A regional chapter of Boys & Girls Club is expanding its reach and launching a new after school program at Crescenta Valley Park that will double the number of students served in some programs, organizers say.
Scheduled to start in the fall, the collaboration between Boys & Girls Club of Burbank & Greater East Valley and the Los Angeles County Parks and Recreation Department will replace an existing program currently operated by the county at the site and serve more than 40 students.
“This new partnership will allow us to increase programming at the park and double the number of youth participants in some of the programs,” said Kay Michelson, a special assistant with the county Parks and Recreation Department.
A second new program will be introduced at Our Lady of the Holy Rosary School in Sun Valley, officials said.
At Crescenta Valley Park, offerings will include tutoring, homework assistance, athletics and leadership training. Children ages 7 to 16 are eligible. The program will be open 2 to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. A summer program is planned for 2013.
Shanna Warren, executive director of the Boys and Girls Club of Burbank and Greater East Valley, noted that the organization already serves a number of La Crescenta children at some of its Burbank locations.
“The Crescenta Valley site is really nice because it is within walking distance of three schools,” Warren said.
The annual club membership fee is $75, and the after school program will cost $120 a month. Financial aid will be available. Applications are available online, and on-site.
The two new locations come in addition to the 15 already under the direction of Boys & Girls Club, Warren said. The organization expects to serve more than 1,500 local youth starting in the fall.
Boys & Girls Club officials will relocate experienced staff to Crescenta Valley Park and Our Lady of the Holy Rosary School while bringing in new faces to its more established locations, Warren said.
The facilities at Crescenta Valley Park include a recreation center, basketball courts, playgrounds, baseball fields and a climbing wall.
“It is an amazing opportunity,” Warren said.
-- Megan O’Neil, Times Community News
Twitter: @megankoneil