Local children wrapped up the annual celebration of National Boys & Girls Club Week Saturday at the Frederiksted Club with a day of fun and food.
The large fenced play yard at the Frederiksted Boys and Girls Club was full of laughing and happy children running from one activity to another.
Jennifer Acevedo, unit director and an organizer of the event, said almost 100 children joined in the fun. Organizers brought two busloads of children and parents from the Christiansted Club to take part in the activities.
Jenna Nedwetzky, a volunteer whose daughter went to the Frederiksted Club in the past, said the location was perfect because it is a nice safe place for children to play.
The children were playing basketball and volleyball, Skip It, and doing hula hoop contests. There was a brightly-colored Winnie the Pooh blow-up bouncer that was continually filled with children who appeared to be having a blast. An adult supervised the bouncer keeping a watchful eye on the children making sure they were safe. The computer room was a cool spot for the children to chill for awhile and play computer games.
Numerous parents, teens and four brothers from Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity helped out by playing with the children, organizing games and serving hot dogs and hamburgers.
Robert Molloy, of Alpha Phi Alpha and president of the broad of directors of the club, said it’s a great day anytime kids are having fun.
“The children are here doing positive, not negative things,” Molloy said. “I want to encourage the community to help support the clubs.”
“I love to play here, “ Chelseay Taylor said. “We get to do a lot of fun things here. I just wish it was open after school.”
O’Neil Canton, chief professional officer of the clubs, said the Frederiksted club has been closed since November due to lack of funding. He added they are pushing to have the club open before summer. He said parents have been calling to see if they will be open for summer camp.
“We are looking for sustainable donations that come in monthly or quarterly,” Canton said. He said the V.I. Housing Authority and the Department of Parks and Recreation have expressed an interest in partnering with the clubs. Canton added the club in Christiansted has been growing steadily and in February they served 80 children.
During the celebration, the Christiansted club hosted a week-long open house. The documentary, Waiting for “Superman,” was viewed Thursday. To encourage club members to lead a healthy lifestyle they joined Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s (BGCA) in an attempt to receive the Guinness World Record title for the most star jumps (jumping jacks) completed in two consecutive minutes on Tuesday afternoon.
The Boys and Girls Club of the Virgin Islands provides a safe place to learn and grow with ongoing relationships with caring, adult professionals. The clubs also provide life-enhancing programs and character development experiences.
To learn more about the clubs, make donations, or to volunteer call 778-8990.