Following a recent change, new plans are underway for the downtown Santa Barbara Boys & Girls Club

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The historic Boys & Girls Club in downtown Santa Barbara has named one of its former members to the helm. Mark Alvarado is the new executive director.

“This is my home. When I come here, I get emotional,” Alvarado said.

He said his life got its start in the right direction in the 1970s at the Boys & Girls Club downtown. After a limited partnership with the United Boys & Girls Club of Santa Barbara County, the Canon Perdido Street location is once again its own club, with a board of directors and new staff being hired.

It will be named “Club” and officially called “Boys & Girls Club of Santa Barbara Incorporated.”

The plan for the future is already in the works, with collaborations and proven programming.

Alvarado said they would “bring people to help us with the after school program, the sports program, the art program, the dance program, the recording program, the computer and all the other programs that we have, the cooking program. And we want this to really be a partnership-based activity so that the kids get the best that Santa Barbara has to offer.”

It has an 84-year history with many academic and sporting success stories at the highest level.

Alvarado looked across the field and said, “It happened here, and it happened on this field, and it happened in the gym. This facility is the foundation for youth services in the city of Santa Barbara. So there’s a lot of energy, history, support from the past behind us, and we continue to develop programs and services for kids. So there’s nothing stopping us.”

One of the areas where collaboration is possible is the kitchen, where children can learn to cook and possibly take classes in the culinary arts program at Santa Barbara City College.

The computer lab will receive new equipment and programs to match the advanced courses across the street at Santa Barbara High. The board also plans to exhibit art projects in the community. The classroom is expected to be full every afternoon.

Alvarado said: “Here we can teach children of all ages to read, write and count. We wanted to help the children improve their reading level in a structured and sustainable way.”

As the club begins the next chapter in its long history, it is in a prime location to welcome different age groups and young adults in transition. “That includes the junior high, Ortega Park, the armory here, the high school. It’s a campus in and of itself,” Alvarado said. “It’s creating a space for them so they can find a path to success. And that’s what this club is about. That’s what this club has always been about: reaching kids at their most vulnerable point and then giving them the opportunity to be the best they can be.”

To modernize the game room, more computer and video games will be introduced at a time when gaming can be used to develop new skills and technological programs for the future.

The club also announced that it will continue to host its annual free Thanksgiving meals, which have brought hundreds of people together to celebrate the holiday in the spirit of community.

An open day is planned for Sunday, June 23rd from 1pm to 3pm.

Membership costs $25 per year, and scholarships are available for those who cannot afford it.

For more information visit: Boys & Girls Club of Santa Barbara Incorporated.