Moorpark's Boys & Girls Club presents summer fun, field trips for local youth
Program open to new sign-ups through August
By Meg Boberg Special to the Acorn

"Wacky Water" and "Around the World" theme weeks await summer participants at the Moorpark Boys & Girls Club. Field trips will include visits to Hurricane Harbor, the beach in Ventura and the Santa Barbara Zoo.

The Boys & Girls Club summer program, which began last Monday and runs through Aug. 24, offers children ages 6 to 14 the opportunity to enjoy a wide range of activities. When they arrive at the club, they are divided into groups according to age. During the day, they may participate in their choice of activities, which range from sports to arts and crafts.

A member of the club when he was younger, high school senior Edgar Tamayo is now part of the Boys & Girls Club staff. Tamayo's mother signed him up for the program when he was 9 years old, and today he's still friends with some of the kids he met in the program.

"I'm really stoked for this," Tamayo said, adding that he was hired to help the children in the learning center. "It's a good place for me to work, a way to give back to the Boys & Girls Club."

Participants and staff at the club reflect the makeup of the Moorpark community.

Youth development strategies are at the core of the program, said W. Scott Mosher, club executive director.

"We respond to the interests and needs of children in the community," Mosher said. "They have a taste of a little bit of everything and they also have an option to do what they want to do more of."

Building a positive, fun place for children is key, according to program director Denise Duarte. The atmosphere gives children a sense of competence and belonging, which falls in line with the club's core values, Duarte said.

"An important part of our program is social environment," Duarte said. "Just trying to expose the kids to a lot of different things rather than just what's here in Moorpark."

In addition to Tamayo, other high school and college students from the community participate as counselors. One of them is education director Sarah Moore, who said her career goal is elementary school education.

"Kids love being outside and playing all the games," Moore said, describing the water balloon tosses and water relays that take place during Wacky Water week.

On average, more than 100 youngsters a day participate in the summer program at Moorpark Boys & Girls Club, and more than 2,000 are served annually. Though membership fees help offset the costs of the club, 99 percent of the budget is made possible by donations from individuals, organizations and corporations in the community.

"Here's a way kids who don't go to school together can make friends," Tamayo said. "It's a good vibe here."

For more information on open sign-ups for the 10-week summer program, call (805) 529-1140.