IU students mentor local youth

No one would guess that the intimidating, red brick building across the street from a police station would hold the shrieks and laughter of school kids and college volunteers.\nThere's no doubt, the Boys and Girls Club of Bloomington is fun for all.\nOnce inside, a competitive game of foosball in the corner attracts a group of kids, while a quieter bunch work in the computer lab. \nUpstairs, surrounded by sweaty, tired grade-schoolers, the gymnasium is a place for all types of indoor games and the wall of fame highlights sports achievements.\nThe Boys and Girls Club is a bustling, after-school club for kids, ages six to 18, to come play, interact and learn until 8 p.m. This non-profit national club has up to 120 members each day and over 700 kids have visited within the last year, said Katie Huckaby, the Boys and Girls Club program director.\nPicking up the kids from school is sometimes a difficult thing to negotiate for busy working parents, and the Club eases that anxiety, Huckaby said. The Monroe County school buses and the Club's red-and-white van bring students directly from school to the Club.\nPaula Spidle, a seventh grader at Bachelor Middle School in Union County, said she takes the van with a group of her friends and stays at the Club until a parent picks her up. Spidle said she has only been a member two months after some friends asked if she wanted to join. \nShe said the change is a lot better than last year when she stayed at home, watched TV and was very bored.\nIt's that boredom that seeps into most latch-key kids' afterschool lives that the Club tries to fight, and with the many programs every day, it seems they may just be winning.\nFor just $15 a year, members can come when they need to and use the computer lab with restricted internet access, compete in all kinds of activities and utilize the many tutors that come and help students with homework. \nBut it isn't just the members who benefit from this afterschool program. The volunteers, who are mostly college students, gain a lot from the hours, too.\n"It is so rewarding,' Huckaby said. "They love having you around."\nShe started volunteering as an undergrad as part of the work-study program, and after graduating in December 2001, accepted her current position.\nIn just under a year on staff, Huckaby said she has already seen dramatic changes. \nThe number of members per day has doubled since last year. Huckaby said this increase is probably due to the state-wide budget cuts that made receiving day care vouchers harder to get. \nAs parents struggle to find affordable and trustworthy afterschool care, Huckaby said she hopes the Club and programs are stepping up to the plate.\nMuch of the success of the Club has to do with the volunteers and the time that is put into making afternoons productive.\n"College kids have so much enthusiasm, and with the right attitude they can make a big difference," Huckaby said.\nSophomore Alison Frank agreed.\nAs part of a class requirement, Frank needs to fill 10 hours of community service and plans on doing them at the Club. \n"I think it's a really good idea to get college students who have extra time to come out and volunteer," she said. "We get a lot out of it and so do the kids."\nFrank was a volunteer at the Reality Fair for Teens that was hosted by the Club and the Big Brothers and Sisters of Bloomington. \nFor college students who do find themselves with a few extra hours a week, the Club has different volunteer opportunities for different situations. Being a mentor for a day or simply tutoring can be an excellent change of pace from campus life, Huckaby said.\nFor information on volunteering, call 332-5311 or visit the building at 311 S. Lincoln St.