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Children enjoy club
By Natasha Warzecha
 Media Credit: Dan Eslicker Brad Labarbera reaches for the ball as he plays with the kids at the Southside Boys and Girls Club. Like other SCSU students, Labarbera is volunteer at the club.
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Area children and teenagers have been overcoming life obstacles, receiving homework help and just plain enjoying themselves for 30 years by participating in the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Minnesota.
They now have one more event to celebrate.
The staff of the Eastside Boys and Girls Club Unit will be conducting a ribbon-cutting ceremony, 5 p.m. Thursday, to introduce the newly-renovated Learning Center to community members. The event will have a few brief speakers followed by the ribbon-cutting and tours of the facility.
The Learning Center renovations began in November. The center, which shares a space with the art room, will provide a new space for members to utilize as they work on homework and reading activities. Donations and current club funds helped the staff install new carpet, repaint the walls and add new furniture to the facility, said Jodi Millerbernd, Eastside unit director.
The clubs offer a range of activities for children in the St. Cloud and surrounding communities. The clubs' five core program areas are character and leadership development, education and career development, health and life skills, the arts and sports fitness and recreation. Each unit also serves one meal each day.
These centers are also an opportunity for area students to take part in a child's life by volunteering.�
"Mentoring is such an important part of a child's life," said Aimee Minnerath, fundraising manager for the Boys and Girls Clubs of central Minnesota. "You see it every day in their self-esteem, their sense of belonging and their sense of youthfulness. It's amazing."
Jeff Hauge, Southside assistant unit director, said the staff and volunteers help with students' homework, conduct basketball tournaments and hold talent shows every six months for the members.
Many children have parents who work nights or work late hours in the evening. This makes it hard for them to find adults to help them with their homework and support them. The one-on-one experience that the Boys and Girls Club gives children allows each and every child to be noticed, Minnerath said.
Without the community volunteers, the Boys and Girls Club could not survive.
Throughout the year, the Southside center has about 60 SCSU students who volunteer, said Christine Kustelski, Southside unit director.
"The quality of our program wouldn't be the same. They have a huge impact on our kids," Kustelski said.
"It's always nice to see different faces, and to have volunteers bring in new ideas," Hauge said. For the homework part of it, it's hard for one or two people to try and help 20 kids, Hauge said.�
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