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Clubs Struggle In Tight Times

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By GEORGE WILKENS

The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 3, 2008

PLANT CITY - The local Boys & Girls Clubs are abuzz with happy children after school each day, something which, on the surface, belies the pinch the sour economy is putting on the nonprofit organization.

"Some of the parents can't afford the fees, even though they are low," said Sharon Moody, director of the club's West Plant City branch, 901 S. Waller St.

"I understand what the economy is and what you're going through," she tells parents caught in the crunch of rapidly rising prices for everything from gasoline to milk and bread.

The economic crunch is hitting the nonprofit organization from all directions, including cutbacks in government funding, grants, private contributions and United Way proceeds. "With all those budget cuts, we got cut pretty hard, too," Moody said.

Still, about 90 members, ages 5 to 18, visit the West Plant City branch each day after school, most transported on the club's bus.

Awaiting them is a variety of activities, from athletics to homework assistance/tutoring, computer training, games and arts and crafts, plus socializing with fellow members. There also is an after-school snack, made possible through a Hillsborough County free-lunch program.

Most of the members are from homes in impoverished neighborhoods near the branch, Moody said. "Some of the kids don't know where their next meal is coming from," Moody said.

For many, the club provides a rare opportunity to use a computer to explore the Internet and do research for schoolwork. Children are cleared to visit authorized Web sites only after successfully completing NetSmartz, an age-appropriate program that cautions about the threat of online predators.

Across town near Marshall Middle School, more than twice as many youngsters utilize the Boys & Girls Club at the city-owned Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Center, 1601 E. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.

"We've cut back on a lot of things we want to do," said Carlos J. Jimenez, one of two directors at the facility jointly operated by Boys & Girls Clubs of Tampa Bay and Plant City. "We'd like to do more, but it comes down to that funding," which required the staff recently to be reduced by two. Hours have been cut for other workers.

"To keep our doors open, we've got to increase prices," said Jimenez. It's done with extreme reluctance, he said, explaining that a $1 fuel surcharge added to the $5 fee for transportation and admission to Hillsborough River State Park or a local movie theater excludes many of the impoverished members. The club has about 190 members.

To help reach children whose parents cannot afford field trips, much less the $200 per semester fee, a two-year pilot program was recently launched at three Hillsborough County sites, including both in Plant City.

HYPE (Helping Young People to Excel) targets children of migrant families who may fall under the influence of older siblings who have drifted into gang affiliations.

"This program allows us to help those families," Jimenez said. "We try to get the kids off the streets" of the low-income, high-crime neighborhoods.

Jimenez, a first-generation American whose mother was born in Cuba, is the only Spanish-speaking member at the Plant City clubs. He works closely with La'Tosha Lewis, an African-American from Houston who is the Plant City Recreation and Parks Department employee who supervises the MLK center and works closely with the Boys & Girls Clubs.

"The kids and their families see there's unity here," setting an example for club members of all races and nationalities, Jimenez said. "If we can do it, they can do it. And they see that."

Jimenez and Lewis work one-on-one with HYPE children, reviewing report cards, monitoring behavior, meeting regularly with their parents and making quarterly reports on the young members' progress.

Joint sponsorship with the city allowed the addition of Kids Cafe, which provides meals prepared by a dietitian that are served at 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday to children at the MLK club.

"They need to eat healthy meals," said Lewis, adding that the food provides more than nutrition. "We did see, over time, an improvement in their grades," she observed.

"When they've got something in their stomachs, they're able to concentrate a lot more," Jimenez agreed.

He said the well-balanced meal provides an additional benefit: "Knowing the kids aren't hungry when they go home is a wonderful thing."

Reporter George Wilkens can be reached at (813) 865-4433 or gwilkens@tampatrib.com.

CLUB LOCATIONS

Hours for both locations are from 2 to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday during the school year and from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday during the summer. Here are the locations:

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Center

1601 E. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.

(813) 757-9195

Carlos Jimenez, director

West Plant City

901 S. Waller St.

(813) 707-8490

Sharon Moody, director

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