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Wall-to-wall youngsters Boys and Girls Clubs reopen an after-school program in White City with a whirl of activity for the 6-14 set By JONEL ALECCIA Mail Tribune WHITE CITY - Within an hour of reopening Monday afternoon, the Boys and Girls Clubs site here was a teeming testament to the need for quality after-school child care. Wall-to-wall kids ages 6 to 14 flocked to computers, filled reading tables, picked up pool sticks and grabbed paint brushes in a flurry of activity that kept new staff hopping. "It's going great," said Roger Brown, the director in charge of the program that had nearly 50 kids rush in when he opened the door. That was particularly welcome news to parents like Gabriella Cocco, 35, whose 8-year-old son, Theo, could hardly wait for Monday to come. "It is a big help, economically and mentally," she said. Theo was attending the center on Avenue G when financial problems forced it to close in December 2000, and the move threw his family into a tailspin. "At first I was like, 'What am I going to do now?'" recalls Gabriella Cocco, who works for the state Department of Human Services in Grants Pass. "After that, he was going to a baby sitter, but he wasn't very happy." Like Cocco, hundreds of parents were forced to scramble for new care when the Jackson County chapter of the Boys and Girls Club closed the site. But a merger with the Grants Pass chapter in July created a new entity, the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Rogue Valley, with the financial backing and organizational wherewithal to reopen the center. An influx of more than $50,000 in grants and donations helped pay for renovation and establishment of the site's $100,000 annual budget, agency Director Dick Hanlin said. That allowed the center to open mid-year, with plans for all-day care on school vacations and summer breaks. "It's a real relief to so many parents to have it up and running," said Jay Sparks, principal of White City Elementary School. Parent Laura Villa of White City signed up her 14-year-old son, Steve, who uses a wheelchair. "Now I know where he is without having to look all over White City," she said. For kids, the center offers a wide range of activities, a chance to finish homework and a good place to hang out with friends. "I'm pretty happy now," said Adam Golding, 12, who was the winner of a new bike in a reopening drawing. The only remaining dilemma centers on getting kids from school to the program. For now, many of the kids at the center are middle-schoolers because elementary-age students are too young to walk. "We're working on transportation," Brown said. "That's the number one concern: 'How's my 6-, 7-, or 8-year-old going to get here?' " For information about the White City Boys and Girls Clubs site, call 830-7623 or 479-5258. Cost for the program is $15 annually, plus $25 for summer care, with a $50 cap per family. Reach reporter JoNel Aleccia at 776-4465, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.