BY ANGELA FENTIMAN
Twenty San Fernando Valley adults were transported back to childhood Saturday, November 7 courtesy of the Boys & Girls Club of the West Valley. The Club’s Kid for a Day event paired board members, volunteers and donors with actual Club members to experience a typical day for kids at the Remmett Ave. Club in Canoga Park.
“We want the community to know what a gem we have here,” said Club Chairman of the Board Gary Thomas.
Writer Angela Fentiman (center) being a kid for a day with buddies Elizabeth Aceves, 9. and Josie Cerda, 7.
Each adult was paired with two or three Club members and participated in the same activities as the kids would after school. The time was divided between the game room, art room and learning center. The event concluded with a lunch of hot dogs and hamburgers provided by the Chatsworth Kiwanis Club. During lunch the adults (or kids for the day) watched videos produced by Club members that showcased a scary haunted house and some of the members’ best dance moves.
“I have never had a chance to participate with the kids,” said Kayvan Mott, VP of marketing for Infinite Communications and a member of the Club’s volunteer marketing committee. “This was my chance to give back directly, one-on-one.”
In the game room Club members and their adult buddies played pool, air hockey, foosball and various board games. The art room contained stickers, markers and crayons to decorate picture frames to hold photos taken to commemorate the day.
Josie Cerda shows off the goo she just made from glue, food coloring, borax and water. Photo: Angela Fentiman
The learning center was popular with the Club members because they had the opportunity to make goo and do a word search about the Club. Goo–a mixture of glue, food coloring, borax and water was the highlight for many.
“My favorite part about today was doing the goo,” said Elizabeth Aceves, a 9-year-old Club member. “I never did goo before and I like feeling different textures.”
Seven-year-old Josie Cerda said that making the picture frame and the goo were her favorite parts of the day. She added that the goo “feels kind of strong” as she squeezed it in her small hands.
Club President/CEO Jan Sobel called the first-ever kid for a day event a huge success.
“The kids had a great time,” she said. “The point is to show adults who volunteer or donate to the Club what we do here.”
Elizabeth Aceves and Josie Cerda decorate picture frames to hold photos to commemorate the kid for a day event. Photo: Angela Fentiman
Fun was had by kids of all ages. Club members that are usually at the school sites were able to spend a couple hours at the main Club location and the adult volunteers were happy to connect with their inner child.
“I had a great time, it brought out the little kid in me,” Mott said.
The Boys & Girls Club of the West Valley serves more than 600 children per day, according to Sobel. The Club provides a safe and positive place for kids to go during after school hours, a time when statistically most crimes by minors are committed.
“We help parents know that their kids have a safe place to go after school, with adults who care,” Sobel said.
And the kids who use the Club appreciate the opportunities that the Club provides.
“When I’m home I’m really bored, but when I’m at the Boys & Girls Club there is lots of stuff to do,” said Aceves.
More information about the Boys & Girls Club of the West Valley can be found at www.wvbgc.org.
Angela Fentiman is a freelance writer and public relations professional who has represented clients across all sectors—nonprofit, government and business. She has a master’s degree in public administration (MPA) and a B.A. in communication. She serves on the Boys & Girls Club of the West Valley’s volunteer marketing committee. Angela can be contacted at angela.fentiman@gmail.com.
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