Reopening of the Eastside Boys & Girls Club in Santa Barbara in July

The Boys & Girls Club in historic downtown Santa Barbara is rebuilding itself this summer. At the helm is a familiar face. Mark Alvarado, a former member of the club and president of the alumni association, will be the new executive director.

Summer programming for teens on the city’s Eastside looked bleak after the United Boys & Girls Club of Santa Barbara County announced in May that it would vacate its downtown space in June – especially after Girls Inc. left in 2022 and the Eastside Library closed for renovations until July 15.

To recap, the downtown club has been leasing its Canon Perdido Street facility to the United Boys & Girls Clubs for the past two years to offer programs, but asked United to move out due to disagreements over operations. Now the club plans to restart as an independent organization with new staff.

“United cleaned out the place and left me a basketball and two pool bats,” Alvarado half-joked as he walked through the club’s lobby. “But I see this as a blank canvas.”

Alvarado grew up at the downtown club in the 1970s. Originally founded in 1938 as the Boys’ Club of Santa Barbara to provide a place for young boys to go after school and during the summer, the club has since become known for its academic and athletic success stories, which include NBA Laker Jamaal Wilkes and NFL players Randall and Sam Cunningham.

“From my perspective, we have such a large facility, we have a wealth of programs we can offer, we have some seed money to work with – we feel like we can operate successfully without competition because we are the foundation of youth services in the city of Santa Barbara,” Alvarado noted. “And one failed collaboration is not going to erase 84 years of history in this building. We just have to start from scratch, with community support.”

Alvarado’s voice echoed as he walked through the gym: “This is where I learned to tie my shoes and chew gum at the same time,” he laughed.

As he led the reporter through the rooms, he elaborated on the club’s future plans – dance and performing arts in the dance studio, an athletic program in the gym and on the field, a music and recording program in the Notes for Notes studio, and a culinary program in the club’s commercial kitchen.

In addition, the club plans to create crossovers to programs at Santa Barbara High School. For example, the club’s computer lab will be used to prepare children for the Multimedia Arts and Design Academy and the art room will be redesigned to serve as a bridge to the Visual Arts and Design Academy.

The classroom – equipped with a blackboard, bookshelves and desks – will become a tutoring centre where children can practice reading, writing and math. And the old playroom, which currently houses a few worn-looking foosball and pool tables, will be converted into an arcade.

Alvarado and the club’s board of directors, along with supervisory staff, will serve as lead facilitators, but certain activities will be conducted by various partner organizations that are “willing to come and work with our kids” and “have the autonomy to conduct their programs here,” Alvarado explained.

He stressed that club dues – currently about $40 – would be “nominal,” just $25, and that scholarships would be available.

This summer, however, they’re starting small, with a “drop-in program.” From July 8 through August, some of the club rooms will be open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. for kids who need a place to hang out, play games, play basketball, and just pass the time until school starts again in the fall.

“It will take us some time to get to where we want to be. It will be small steps,” the club said. This will allow it to resolve some operational issues and hire additional staff to prepare for the coming school year.

Alvarado stressed that he wants to inform the community that the facility “is open and will be operational for the children of this neighborhood – the Eastside.”

On Sunday, June 23, the club will host a community meeting open to the public with political and administrative representatives, including Eastside City Councilor Alejandra Gutierrez, District Councilor Laura Capps and a representative from the Salud Carbajal office.

As for the club’s charter as a Boys & Girls Club under the Boys & Girls Club of America, board member David Bolton said that from the downtown club’s perspective, “we never gave up the charter.” It was lost when United moved out, but the board is working with its attorney to get it back, possibly with United’s help.

In a statement from the Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA), the national organization said, “In June 2020, the Santa Barbara organization’s charter was dissolved when its Boys & Girls Club activities were transferred to the United Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Barbara (United) through an agreement signed by the board of directors of the two entities… We fully understand that this is a very challenging situation for all parties involved. However, only entities operating a Boys & Girls Club can hold a membership charter with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. The BGCA has continued to advise the former Santa Barbara organization should it wish to re-seek membership with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America and demonstrate its ability to meet all membership and charter requirements.”

“We’re still a Boys & Girls Club; the name still stands,” Bolton said. “We’re now focused on rebuilding and programming to get bigger and better.”

Alvarado said the downtown club will be called “The Club” and officially the Boys & Girls Club of Santa Barbara, Incorporated.

“We need to improve, not only in terms of this facility, but I think the entire community needs to understand that if children are not offered extracurricular activities, there is a good chance that they will get involved in things that are not so good for their future,” Alvarado explained.

“We want to encourage character development, respect, responsibility and honesty. We want the children to understand these basic values ​​that sometimes get lost in the confusion because children can very easily go astray.”