By Tim Blaylock, tblaylock@bgcop.org
January 10, 2007

It takes just one person to make a lasting difference in the life of a child. Are you the one?

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Oxnard and Port Hueneme has kicked off its annual campaign called "It Just Takes One." The campaign, which seeks donations primarily from individuals, will raise funds for the clubs' programs and services for youths ages 6 to 18.

Serving as the campaign chairman is business leader Leo Bunnin. The campaign's goal, now in its third year, is to raise $200,000 for the clubs' annual operating budget.

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Oxnard and Port Hueneme, founded in 1954, is a nonprofit, privately funded 501(c)(3) organization, and depends on private donations and volunteers to accomplish its mission.

The clubs are making a difference in the community. In 2006, the three clubhouses, 11 school sites and one public housing unit served 6,700 young people, a 10 percent increase from the year before. But there are still many more children in our community who need the kind of positive influence and guidance that the clubs provide, and we want to reach out to these youths and their families.

Funds raised will help sponsor kids to attend summer camp and provide quality after-school programs such as homework help, tutoring, computer skills training, job ready and entrepreneurship training, career exploration, arts and crafts, fitness and sports, and character and leadership programs.

In addition, the funds will help staff reopen in June the new and improved Harriet H. Samuelsson Clubhouse on Seventh Street in Oxnard, and our newest clubhouse in the Juvenile Justice Center in partnership with the County of Ventura Probation Agency, which is opening this week.

Even more important, young people need someone to be there to help make a difference in their lives, to instill hope and opportunity into their view of the world.

Staff members make a positive difference every day. They provide not only activities to increase and broaden a young person's skill sets, but they build character and develop supportive relationships. They also hold youths to high expectations.

Besides your parents, who made the difference for you in your childhood? Was it a teacher? A coach? A neighbor? Or someone else who guided you and taught to you about right and wrong?

You can be the one to make a difference in the life of a child by providing him or her with a safe, secure and stimulating environment through the Boys & Girls Clubs.

We need the financial support of caring people like you to help us reach children who need us most. Your investment gives the Boys & Girls Club the chance to develop a generation of young people who are productive and caring citizens. They will become our community, national and world leaders, exhibiting strong character and integrity to build a better life for themselves, better communities for all of us and a stronger America.

The cost of providing the Boys & Girls Club experience to one child for a year is about $500. You can see what a valuable investment that is when you compare it to the cost of incarcerating a youth who went in the wrong direction — usually $50,000 or more.

A diverse community of youths depends on the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Oxnard and Port Hueneme. We must continue to reach out to additional children to offer programs that provide hope and opportunity for all kids.

To make a financial contribution, contact Linda Le Brock, director of major gifts, at 815-4959, ext. 205. To volunteer, contact Jaime Zendejas at 815-4959, ext. 214, or visit our Web site at http://www.positiveplace4kids.org.