Boys & Girls Club to Open Teen Center

A $100,000 grant from the Weingart Foundation will allow the Boys & Girls Club to open a new facility in 1997 for students at Columbus Middle School in Canoga Park, club officials said this week.

The new teen center, to be built in the old metal shop at Columbus, will include a game room, computer lab and arts and crafts area, said Bob Gross, executive director of the West Valley Boys & Girls Club.

The West Valley Boys & Girls Club received its charter from the national organization in 1995 and currently operates an after-school program for 7- to 12-year-old children at Calvert Street Elementary School in Woodland Hills.

The grant from the philanthropic Weingart Foundation, which supports programs that benefit children, was a huge boost for the club, enabling it to realize its goal of opening a second facility in the West Valley, Gross said.

“The teen population of the Valley is significant, with existing programs designed for them few and far between,” he said.

“Our whole purpose is to develop teen programs and to provide boys and girls in this community with wholesome, fun activities,” he said.

The new teen center will be open to boys and girls between the ages of 11 and 18 for an annual registration fee of $15. Club members will have access to a variety of educational and recreational activities, Gross said. A teen club for kids 13 and older will also be available.

For more information call the West Valley Boys & Girls Club, (818) 340-3561.