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48 °F Forecast | Road Cams Thursday, January 27, 2005 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Opportunities Moving to Southern Oregon? MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend November 10, 2004 Programs will expand at The Shack By JONEL ALECCIA Mail Tribune The Shack, a Medford center for children and teens, is expanding its hours and programs to better serve kids, city parks officials said Monday. The center, which has offered after-school and weekend activities for several years, is adding homework help, youth leadership training, community service opportunities, adventure recreation and a recreational sports league, said Parks and Recreation Director Brian Sjothun. "We want to make this program the basis for new things we’re trying to do," said Sjothun. "We want it to be a clearinghouse for other things." He said he hopes the program will soon serve more than the 20 or so kids who show up daily after school, with more on weekends. Sjothun plans to create new age-appropriate programs that keep younger kids and older kids separate. "I have a real problem with seventh-graders being with 12th-graders," he said. Advertisement New breakdowns will include activities for fourth- and fifth-graders, sixth- and seventh-graders and ninth- through 12th-graders, he said. Kirt Davis, who directs the new program, said some of the offerings include weekend theme nights for teenagers. "We did ‘Fear Factor,’ " he said. "We had a Hawaiian theme night." About $11,000 a year is budgeted for the city-run program during this biennium, Sjothun said. The Shack doesn’t compete with youth programs such as the Rogue Valley Family YMCA or Kids Unlimited because they serve different audiences, organizers said. "Kids Unlimited targets at-risk kids," said Davis. "We’re not necessarily looking at kids at risk." The YMCA is a fee-based program, Sjothun noted. The Shack is free. The city program will also seek to collaborate with agencies to offer sports leagues. A flag football league is in the planning stages, for instance. The Shack is open from 2:30 to 6:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and from 7 to 9:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. It’s at 809 W. McAndrews Road, Medford. For information, call 774-2400. Reach reporter JoNel Aleccia at 776-4465, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Student Loan Consolidation Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers