Boys and Girls Club opening up countless possibilities in Sonoma County

Four years ago, when Alondra Huerta was 8, she began attending after-school programs at the Boys & Girls Club on the campus of her school, Roseland Elementary.

“Alondra was very shy and withdrawn when she first came here,” said Rebecca Matlick, an area director for the organization. “Her parents don’t speak English, so in those formative years, when she was learning to read and write in English, they couldn’t help her. But she found help at Roseland. The club has been a place for her to get the help she needs with her academic career as well as express herself artistically and emotionally. She has really blossomed, has more confidence in herself and interacts happily with her peers.”

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Sonoma County helps disadvantaged children achieve academic and personal success by giving them access to the kind of tools they need to succeed.

“We want all kids to reach their full potential as caring, productive, responsible citizens,” said Jennifer Weiss, the organization’s CEO. “The way we can do that is by making sure that kids have academic success by helping them develop good character, and by insuring that they choose a healthy lifestyle.”

The club helps in other ways, too. For instance, it provides a hot meal each day, and often sends leftovers home, and works behind the scenes to ensure that students receive gifts at Christmas. Between 93 and 97 percent of Roseland students qualify for free or reduced-rate lunches.

Operating 33 clubs in Cloverdale, Geyserville, Healdsburg, Windsor, Santa Rosa and Rohnert Park (mostly on school campuses), Boys & Girls Clubs has a budget of nearly $7 million and a staff of about 200. Private donations and fundraising campaigns bring in needed money, but the largest source of funds come from the state and federal government. Said Weiss, “The two largest pots are the state’s After School Education and Safety Program and the federal government’s 21st Century Community Learning Centers.”

Like many of her friends, Alondra, now 12, feels that her participation in the organization has broadened her life and introduced her to possibilities she hadn’t known existed. Each day after school, she spends three hours at the club located on the Roseland campus, where she participates in programs that match her interests and needs.

The organization runs about 180 different programs that fall into five categories: character and leadership, the arts, health and life skills, academic success, and sports, fitness and recreation. SMART Girls is one of Alondra’s favorite programs, a small group that helps young girls build self-esteem and make positive choices. She also belongs to the Torch Club, a club that performs community service projects, and she is considered a top-notch soccer player.

“When I started coming to the club, it opened my eyes to trying new things,” Alondra said. “I got tutoring, and my grades improved. I started doing artwork with pastels and really liked that. There are so many programs here, things I couldn’t even have imagined.”

A good student, Alondra’s favorite subjects are math, art and PE. Asked what she plans to do when she grows up, she doesn’t hesitate: “I want to be a national soccer player on a woman’s league.”

And like the SMART Girl she is, she’ll do everything she can to make that happen.