New Annandale community center will host an afterschool program
A new Annandale Boys & Girls Club will operate an afterschool program at the community center under construction at the rear of the Heritage Mall shopping center.
The new club – like the Culmore Club – is associated with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington.
It’s not connected to the Annandale Boys & Girls Club on Annandale Road, which has run sports leagues for decades
Fidel Andrada, branch director of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington at the Culmore Club, described the afterschool program at a community meeting Dec. 14 at Braddock Elementary School.
Related story: Community center coming to Annandale
It will offer programs for kids in kindergarten through high school Monday-Friday afternoons, including academic enrichment and fun activities aimed at building character. There will also be winter and summer-break camps.
More important, Andrada said, “we will provide a safe haven.”
Parents will be charged an annual $50 membership fee, but scholarships will be available for those who can’t afford it.
At the end of the school day, a bus will pick up kids at Braddock Elementary, and possibly other schools, and bring them to the Annandale community center. Parents will pick up their children at the end of the day.
The new community resource center is slated to open in January. It will have two large rooms, a kitchen, and two bathrooms.
At the Dec. 14 meeting, Nandred Navarro of the Fairfax County Department of Neighborhood and Community Services, asked residents what kind of programs they would like to see for adults during evenings and weekends.
Several people said they want English language classes.
Other options mentioned by residents include health services; assistance with job applications, taxes, and other paperwork; classes on first aid; morning childcare; music instruction for kids; Zumba classes; vocational skills training; and social events.
This was the fourth community engagement session on the new community resource center
How wonderful! Hopefully this will help divert kids from gangs and help them excel in life. Sounds like it will be a good resource for adults also. Not sure if Culmore Methodist is still offering ESOL classes anymore, but those were always filled, so English classes would be a great addition.
Is there a way I can get involved, perhaps helping with the kids programs?
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