Oceanside CA— San Diego County District 5 Supervisor Jim Desmond toured Boys & Girls Clubs of Oceanside (BGCO) on Wednesday. Supervisor Desmond and his team met with Jodi Diamond, CEO; Hillary Adams, Director of Operations; and Board members Gigi Gleason, Robert Botkin, and Robbie Hass and discussed the history of the Club and the vital role that it plays in the Oceanside community.
Founded in 1952, BGCO has grown exponentially in the last 12 years, from one Club serving 250 youth to eight sites serving 1,400 youth daily. During Desmond’s visit, Diamond discussed the new Center for Innovation, which includes a Culinary Arts Teaching Kitchen, Performing Arts Center and STREAM (Science, Technology, Research, Engineering, Arts and Math) Lab.
BGCO’s number one goal is to keep youth safe, while engaging them in disguised learning activities. Instead of sitting at home on the couch playing video games, youth are actively learning while having fun, ultimately preventing summer learning loss. This summer, youth have participated in an egg drop experiment, designed contraptions out of recycled materials, hiked Annie’s Canyon Trail, and toured Mission San Juan Capistrano where they made their own Adobe bricks! The height of the summer fun so far was Dr. Bronner’s Magic Foam Experience, a biodegradable “SnoFoam” that turned our warm summer day into a snowy oasis!
It was a great time to tour the Club since summer camp was in action! Diamond talked about the over 350 youth who attend summer camp. At $95 a week, it is one of the most affordable summer camps in North County. The Club also offers scholarships to families in need, with funds raised by the Board of Directors.
“We were honored to host Supervisor Desmond, and we had a lot of fun with him and his team during their visit! We look forward to partnering with him to ensure that all youth in Oceanside have the opportunity to reach their fullest potential,” said Jodi Diamond, CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Oceanside.
For more information about the Boys & Girls Clubs of Oceanside please contact Rhonda Guaderrama at [email protected], call (760) 433-8920, and visit our website BGCOceanside.org or Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/BGCOside .