Summer 2012

Westside Community Center Gears Up for Summer

Ironically, summer vacation might be the busiest season of the year at the Westside Community Center.  The Center’s programs focus on nurturing children and youth, and extra-curricular times like summer’s vacation from school have proven to be the most at-risk times in the lives of children. So, it’s really no coincidence that the Center is busiest when “school’s out for summer”.

Two of the Center’s four United Way supported programs go into full swing immediately after Memorial Day: Work Ethics Pro$per will be placing 21 teen-apprentices on summer jobs with the help of local agencies and businesses, and the Center’s 32-year-old summer program will add academic enrichment to its arts classes and field trips.

W.E. Pro$per apprentices attend monthly employment preparedness classes led by local business professionals and educators throughout the school year and are placed on 100-hour summer apprenticeships for which they’re paid $750. For the past three years of this program, the Center has partnered with the Lowe Family Scholars program in this effort to nurture ethical prosperity in local youth.

The Center’s Summer Enrichment program, known for 30 years as Summer Fine Arts, has expanded its activities to include subjects like chess, Lego-mindstorm robotics, balloon art and math “Fun da Mentals” as well as its traditional arts and crafts, dance, theater, music and drawing. The additions were made to help students reinforce and maintain their learning skills during summer’s extended time away from the classroom.

The cost of this program is exceptionally reasonable and class space is limited, so contact the Center at (918)336-6760 and/or email Mr. McCorvey at dir.westsidecommunityctr@gmail.com for enrollment information.

The Center’s Peaceful Warriors anti-bullying program will host monthly Peaceful Pizza Parties all summer, and its After School Zone will be taking enrollments for next school year.  For information about any Center activities contact the main office via telephone, e-mail or visit the Center at 501 S. Bucy.