Club sends right message

Resslin' Around, by Casey Ressler

Editor's note - The name of a boy has been changed in this column to protect his identity.

Flipping the handle as fast as he could, "Scott" watched as the Foosball player he was controlling spun around, whacked the ball into the "goal," giving him a one-point victory over his friend. The 11-year-old boy threw his arms up and jumped around, giddy like an 11-year-old boy should be.

For Scott, that moment -- the grand opening of the beautiful new Boys and Girls Club Thursday night -- was probably the first time the boy had smiled in a while.

He was having fun with his friend, and fun is something that doesn't come all that often to Scott.

Scott said he came to the grand opening of the 8,600-square foot facility with his friend, a Boys and Girls Club regular. It was the first time Scott had been there. Normally after school he goes home to an empty house.

"My mom and dad don't get home till 6," Scott said. "I usually play PlayStation until they get home."

Scott is a perfect example of why the Boys and Girls Club is so important in our community. Instead of an empty house, Scott can go to the new clubhouse and spend after-school hours with his peers.

The Boys and Girls Club is more than just a Foosball and pool party, though. It's an important tool that greatly change the lives of young people.

Being around peers in a structured and productive environment such as the Boys and Girls Club can provide the confidence children need, at the time they need it most. That alone validates the club, but it hardly defines it.

The club gives children confidence, but it also gives them a place where they can be accepted for who they are, a place where they can learn about the similarities and differences they share with other children, and, in some cases, it provides them a home for a few hours.

Growing up, probably even Cindy Crawford and Tom Cruise were made fun of for one reason or another. It can be a hard time for kids. They need a positive influence in their lives, and unfortunately for some of them, they don't find that at home.

They do find it at the Boys and Girls Club, though. The club doesn't care if you are white or black, fat or skinny, if you wear glasses, if you have a hearing aid or if you look differently.

One look around the room Thursday night at the grand opening showed why the Boys and Girls Club is so important to the lives of our youth.

At one pool table, a teen-age girl with dyed yellow hair dressed all in black was playing with a middle school-aged boy wearing camouflage pants and a head of hair that probably hadn't been washed in nearly a week. A third student -- a well-groomed boy wearing glasses, a sweater and a pair of corduroy pants -- asked if he could join in. Of course, the two other kids said.

What are the chances those three students hang out together? Probably slim, at best.

But thanks to the Boys and Girls Club, they are getting to know each other, learning to help each other, and appreciating each other.

The Boys and Girls Club has been important in the lives of Valley youth for two years.

The new clubhouse is the icing on the Boys and Girls Club cake, and club officials should be proud of the new facility.

They can be even more proud of how they positively impact the community.

Casey Ressler (valleylife@frontiersman.com) is the Frontiersman Valley Life editor.