Boys & Girls Clubs Provide Safe Environment
By Penny Bonnot, North County Times
(May 11, 2005 -- Carlsbad, CA) Read the newspapers. Watch the TV news. We are creating a dangerous situation when we leave our children home alone after school while we are finishing up those last few hours of work.
"Actually, the most dangerous time in a child's life are the hours between 3 pm and 8 pm every day," said Patrick Casinelli, Chief Volunteer Officer at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Carlsbad. "This is the time when our kids are most likely to get in trouble. And When I say 'trouble,' I'm talking about serious stuff: assault, robbery, even murder."
Even children whose parents are home every day can benefit from an after-school program. The Boys & Girls Clubs provides children with a place to go and be safe. And, while they are there, they develop character and leadership skills, further their education and much, much more.
Two years ago, 2004 Village Youth of the Year recipient Meslissa Uribe stayed at the club as a safe place to be until her mom picked her up after work. Since that time, Melissa has been the club's greatest cheerleader. Melissa's dream is to become a lawyer, and she is determined to stop at nothing until she becomes one.
Twelve-year-old Christopher Taylor, a sixth-grader at Aviara Oaks Middle School, was the 2004 La Costa Branch Youth of the Year. He says, "One day I will run for president and the things that will make me the best candidate are the things I am learning every day at the club. I'm only 12, but I am already learning responsibility as the Torch Club president, Junior Club tech assistant and by helping with the snack shop. When I am elected president of the United States, I will thank the Boys & Girls Clubs of Carlsbad, and I will work hard to stop hunger across our country.
Greg Nelson, 1965 Youth of the Year, was 10 when he joined what was then called the Carlsbad Boys Club. He became very successful and donated $1 million to the club in 2004.
"I had no idea the place that kept my brother and me off the streets would change my life," he said. "The club gave me many new brothers; it gave me responsibility; it gave me hope; and empowered me to follow my hopes and dreams. As a teen and an adult, I have served in almost every capacity within the current Boys & Girls Clubs of Carlsbad, and if I support them for the next 100 years continuously, I still will not be able to give back what it has given me. I am proof that the positive place for kids is positively the best place for kids."
