By Carole Power

The Positive Place for Kids (aka Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Clara Valley) is always cooking up something for kids to do and learn. Included in the long list of things for member kids to do is participating in a cooking class. Under the direction of faithful volunteer Lia Verkade, who is from the Netherlands, every Tuesday and Thursday the Club members get to congregate in the kitchen of the Fillmore Clubhouse (565 First St.) to learn the art of cooking, kitchen safety, sharing and cooperative working. Their current project is to share their recipes from home. The kids are currently working on a recipe book, which is a compilation of their collective recipes that will be a gift for their parents at Christmas.

Recently the class made Dutch Pancakes, under Lia’s watchful eye, which received an enthusiastic vote of approval from the entire class. Who knows, there may be a budding Emeril Legasse or Rachel Ray in the group! Wouldn’t that be great? At the very least these enthusiastic young people are learning to take care of themselves and others. A great lesson to learn at any age.

Programs of this type are promoted at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Clara Valley. With the guidance of the Club’s national organization, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, though the Club’s Five Core Areas the Arts, Health & Life Skills, Character & Leadership, Career & Education, and Sports Recreation and Fitness, Club members learn positive life skills like gang avoidance, cooperation with others, and self care. These valuable tools that will last them throughout their lives, which will naturally be passed on to their future friends and families, making our communities a better place for everyone.

Club membership is only $25 per year and provides afterschool programming for children from the ages of 6 to 18 years old. There are three Club locations in the Fillmore area, the Neil C. Schmidt/Fillmore Clubhouse (on First St.,) the N. Fillmore Clubhouse (at the Fillmore Police Storefront on Lemon Way,) and the Rancho Sespe Clubhouse in the Rancho Sespe Apartments on Telegraph Rd. There are also eight sites in Santa Paula, the Las Piedras Clubhouse (at the Santa Paula Police Storefront on 13th Street,) the Harvard Clubhouse (1400 E. Harvard Blvd.) and in six schools in Santa Paula. (Barbara Webster Elementary, Thelma Bedell Elementary, Glen City School, McKevett School, Blanchard School and Grace Thille School.) Of course, the Club cannot provide all these services for its current membership of over 700 youth with only $25 per child per year. Additional funding comes from national and local governments, local businesses and community groups and individual donors who appreciate the value of the Club in the community.

You, too, can help with this individual growth and community betterment. Make your tax deductible contribution to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Clara Valley by sending a check to Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Clara Valley, PO Box 18, Fillmore, CA 93016-0018. Or by calling the Club at 805-525-7910 and donating from your credit card. There is no donation too small that it won’t help a child, so, please, contact the Club with your help today. The Club thanks you and the kids thank you!