Cooking with the community

‘A good place to be.”

It’s corny, but it’s true, says Blaine Davies referring the local Boys and Girls Club’s motto.

For Davies, 18, his involvement with the non-profit organization began through music.

The drummer plays for Tin Pan Alley (an unconventional blues, rhythm and funk band), and the group would perform at the club’s monthly Band Jam.

Since then the club has played an instrumental role in his life.

The Boys and Girls Club Community Services of Delta/Richmond runs three Delta clubs: Wintemute Club in Ladner (4727 Arthur Dr.), Winskill Club in Tsawwassen (5555 9 Ave.), and North Delta’s Hillside Club (11393 84 Ave.).

At these locations the club offers children (six to 12) and youth (13 to 18) programs and events in a safe and supervised environment.

Davies’ mother Julie says the club has been a place for her son to turn to in times of need.

“They’ve been monumental for my son getting through all his troubles and teenage times,” she says. “I can’t say enough about them, they’ve been just absolutely wonderful. I’ve always known that if he’s hanging out there he’s safe.”

Davies says being able to talk to program coordinator Rachel Macool helped him cope when his best friend passed away a few years ago.

Sitting with Macool and longtime club member Nicole Larson, Davies says, “If I didn’t have you guys, I don’t know where I’d be right now.”

These days, he attends BCIT’s commercial transport mechanics program and was recently awarded a scholarship by the club for his leadership role through its Future Shop Future Leaders program. And as he moves forward he can’t foresee a time when he won’t be involved with the club.

“When I don’t have my hand on a wrench, I’m on the phone talking to her (gesturing to Macool), or with drumsticks in my hand,” he says.

Larson has volunteered with the Boys and Girls Club since the age of 13 and, now 20, works at the Winskill Club as a senior program leader.

“I’ve just seen kids come into our program shut down, and six months later they’re a completely different kid,” she says, adding they often become volunteers down the road.

“The staff really push the kids to involve themselves.”

And the club’s motto resonates with her as well.

“There will be kids who come in the door and say, ‘I need to be here right now, I can’t be out there anymore.’”

And when they are there, Larson says, “The smiles that happen—it’s natural happiness, is what it is.”

As program coordinator at the Winskill Club, Macool sees about 50 children and youth come by each day for everything from homework help and arts and crafts, to games and dinner programs.

She says the Boys and Girls Club becomes an alternate family setting for some kids. Not that every child who comes through their door is in need of an alternative family—staff are just passionate about youth and creating opportunities for them.

Macool uses the analogy of the club as a tree trunk with branches to numerous networks in the community, opening doors and building relationships between youth with organizations such as the Delta fire and police departments.

Challenging the stigma that hanging out at a youth centre is not “cool” or is just for “bad” kids can be a struggle. Davies simply says, “Go there,” and give it a try.

“There’s not much to do here (in South Delta for youth) and that’s what the Boys and Girls Club provides.”

Upcoming social recreational programs for members include winter day camps for children during Christmas break, and a snow tubing trip for youth. Membership to the Boys and Girls Club is $30 per year for children, and $10 a year for youth.

The community can support the local Boys and Girls Club locations through the South Delta Leader’s second annual “Flavour Favourites” cookbook, sold at Thrifty Foods in Tsawwassen.

The cookbook is a compilation of a year’s worth of recipes from the Leader’s weekly Local Flavour section of recipes contributed by people in the community (for this week’s Local Flavour from the Boys and Girls Club see page 12).

Community connections manager Lynda Brummitt is grateful for the support, particularly during the economic downturn.

“The support is hanging in there, but it may not be as much,” she says.

Michael Alexander, communications manager with Thrifty Foods, says its important to develop relationships with organizations like the Boys and Girls Club.

“By doing so, we believe we can strengthen communities overall by providing opportunities and the right kind of context for young people to develop and grow at a very critical juncture in their lives,” he says. “That is, at a time when they are adopting and assembling the kinds of values and value systems that will help shape their lives. That’s basically the bedrock reason behind any support from Thrifty Foods.”

“Flavour Favourites” is available for $7 at the Tsawwassen Thrifty Foods (1207 56 Street) from Nov. 10 until the Dec. 31. All proceeds go to the Boys and Girls Club Community Services of Delta/Richmond’s club programs.

Says Brummitt, “The whole point of the clubs is it gives the kids a safe place in the community where they can make new friends, learn new things, and help discover their potential.”

reporter@southdeltaleader.com

Building relationships

In addition to the Ladner, Tsawwassen and North Delta clubs’ social recreational programs for children and youth, the Boys and Girls Club Community Services of Delta/Richmond offers a variety of other services to families in the community.

• Early Years Programs for families with newborns to 6-year-olds, such as the Mother Goose free rhyme time program, Mum’s Time Group for parents and babies, Family Empowerment groups, and Kindergarten Readiness programs.

• Employment services for young people ages 15 to 30, including Youth Works, a free pre-employment program with career counselling, resume writing, business connections and job coaches for those no longer in school who are unemployed or under employed.

• The club offers support programs such as the Kidz for Success Kamp (K4SK) for boys nine to 11 years old, groups for teen girls, anger management workshops, and parent support and education groups, as well as counselling for youth and families who may be going through family conflict, dealing with abuse, or going through difficult life transitions.

The Boys and Girls Club also welcomes volunteers— including teens looking to complete school volunteer hours—who want to give back to the community and share their skills with children and youth.

For more details about any of the programs and services, visit www.bgccs.bc.ca.

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