Boys & Girls Club Now Owns Port Hueneme Clubhouse Building

    OXNARD, CA, September 06, 2015 /24-7PressRelease/ -- The City of Port Hueneme has transferred ownership of its facility at 590 E. Pleasant Valley Road to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Oxnard and Port Hueneme. Previously, the Club leased the facility. By owning the building, the Club is better positioned to raise funds needed to deliver programming at the facility, and to raise funds for capital improvements.

"We want to thank the City of Port Hueneme for partnering with us to ensure our community's kids have a safe place to go after school," said Erin Antrim, chief executive officer. "We are aiming to re-open late fall, after we finish some capital improvements. We are rushing because so many families depend on us for free after-school care," she said.

In the coming months, the Club will embark in a community-wide fundraising campaign to secure long-term maintenance and operational funds, Antrim said. The Club's services and programs are free. Members are asked to pay only a $20 annual membership fee if their family can afford it, she said.

"The City's contribution to the Boys & Girls Clubs will mean our community will have greater access to after-school programs and sustainable summer programs that enhance the lives of kids and provide well-being to the entire family," said Mayor Sylvia Muñoz Schnopp. "Our goal was to ensure quality, community-based programs were provided in Port Hueneme, and the Club's commitment to raise funds to sustain and introduce core, national programs to our residents will foster goodwill, enable more options for parents, and influence more youth into becoming active, positive role models in our community. It's a win-win-win situation."

The Port Hueneme clubhouse operations and maintenance budgets, like the Club's Oxnard sites, are nearly 100 percent privately funded by individuals in the community, corporations and foundations, Antrim said. "When our community's children walk into this clubhouse, they will see that their community cares about them by giving them a safe place, away from gangs, violence and drugs," Antrim added.

BGCOP has already begun work on the site. The Port Hueneme Clubhouse closed its doors in April of 2014 to allow the city to do renovations and maintenance funded by federal Housing and Urban Development grants.

When the location closed, BGCOP's Port Hueneme branch had 1,200 registered members and served 156 children daily. The facility has been in use by the Club since 1978.

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Oxnard and Port Hueneme exists to inspire and enable all young people to realize their full potential as productive, responsible and caring citizens. With three full-service clubs and 18 school program sites, the organization is one of the largest of its kind in California, serving more than 9,200 members annually. It's also the first Boys & Girls Club of its kind to open in the Juvenile Justice Center. Program areas offered to youth include character and leadership development, education and career development, health and life skills, the arts, technology and sports/fitness/recreation opportunities. For more information, visit http://www.positiveplace4kids.org.

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