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Growing A Club in California By Johanna Lindemann The fertile Salinas Valley is the heart of one of California's most beautiful areas. Along the region's central highway, fields of leafy green stretch for miles to the foot of nearby mountains. Agriculture is a billion-dollar industry here. The area's natural beauty and the unique character of its people have inspired many artists and writers, most notably John Steinbeck, the Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist whose home in Salinas is now a popular tourist stop. But the valley is also home to more than 100 manufacturing firms and Monterey County government. As the area's population grew over the last 20 years, the City of Salinas faced issues challenging many American communities. One of the most critical? In the early 1990s, population growth outpaced available resources – particularly facilities for serving youth. Some 30 percent of the city's population was under the age of 18. In the county, nearly 50 percent of families had no after-school care for their children. Add to this the national statistic that most juvenile crimes occur in the afternoon between 3 and 6 p.m., and Salinas had a problem. The city also had at least 16 organized gangs, with an estimated membership of more than 2,000. "Salinas is no different from other places as far as our young people were concerned – there's nothing to do," observes Roger Mills, whose family has farmed the valley since 1958. Chief Daniel Ortega of the Salinas Police Department reports that young people account for more than 1,500 arrests and citations in Salinas annually. But now there is hope. Chief Ortega and the Police Activities League (PAL) are helping to operate the city's newest youth-serving facility: the Harden Youth Development Center, run by Boys & Girls Clubs of Monterey County.
There’s a recipe for founding a brand new, all-the-bells-and-whistles youth center like this one: Take five years of hopes and dreams, add three years of serious fundraising, and mix in a year of hard physical labor. Planning, collaboration and determined fundraising made the dream come true. The Harden Foundation, a Salinas organization that assists area nonprofits, conceived the idea of a youth center in the city and backed up its own commitment with $3.25 million in seed money. The Packard Foundation, California Youth Authority, and a host of local businesses and individuals followed, bringing in the total needed to break ground on the center in August 2002. Fundraising was challenging even in Monterey County, an area known for individual and corporate generosity. "For two years, I followed this guy around," recalls Julie Matuszek, co-chair of the capital campaign. "His company eventually gave $500,000. It was thrilling!" Of the $11 million eventually raised by devoted volunteers, Matuszek remarks, "We didn't use professional fundraisers. The experts still can't figure out how we did it." Once sufficient money was raised and ground broken, everyone seemed to catch the spirit of this new Club. "The company that built our facility really took it to heart," reports Donna Ferraro, CEO and president for Boys & Girls Clubs of Monterey County. "They brought the building in on time and under budget. They also won a national award for the project – the AG Constructor Award for Contributions to the Community." This state-of-the-art facility is the stuff of awards: it's the best designed and equipped of its kind in the region. Amenities at the new two-story structure include:
• 16,000-sq. foot gymnasium, including rooms for weight training, ballet and PAL offices • 25-station computer center • 1,000-sq. ft. teen center • a greenhouse where Club members learn about agriculture by growing their own fruits, flowers and vegetables • a science center with four lab stations • a full-service kitchen with a dining area for 100 children Community response to the new Club has been overwhelming. In its first eight weeks of operation, the Harden Center signed up 2,000 members. Club sponsors expected a number like this after the first year of operation, not the first two months. On average, 700-800 youth are served by the facility every day. During summer of 2004, attendance numbers nearly exceeded the new building's capacity. Recalls Ferraro: "And to think at the beginning, we were afraid, 'What if we built a Club and nobody came?'" The Harden Center serves a primarily Latino community in Salinas, with at least 80 percent of Club members the children of workers in the agricultural and tourist industries that sustain the area's economy. Many of their parents are the working poor, most of whom cannot afford after-school care. Left to their own devices, these children often remain isolated in their neighborhoods, or turn to gangs for something to do. Now they can go to the Harden Center. "You've got to teach kids love – and keep them busy learning to get along with their fellow human beings. That's the way this place can be beneficial for future generations," says Roger Mills, capital campaign co-chair. At the facility's opening ceremony, Salinas Mayor Anna Caballero said, "The new center will help create a community of peace." And at the start of 2004, this New Year's wish appeared in a local newspaper: Here are some of the Herald's New Year hopes… and predictions based on a crystal ball. We hope: for an end to violence in Monterey County, where gang warfare erupted numerous times in 2003.Donna Ferraro thinks the Boys & Girls Club Harden Youth Development Center may mean more than just hope for the youth of Salinas. "We really believe," she says, "that this Club is the heart of the community." Johanna Lindemann is director of strategic communications at BGCA. back to top |
