Since the Boys & Girls Club opened in Prosser in 2010, it has benefited not just the youth who attend, but the entire Prosser community.
Ben and Elisa Riley have been involved in the Prosser Clubhouse throughout its entire 14-year history, so they’ve seen firsthand the positive impact it’s made. But they’ve known it could be even better.
“With the amount of kids in Prosser,” Ben said, “it’s time we expand. The new facility has so many possibilities for what we can do.”
He pointed to the Cooking Club as one example. “Kids love to cook. With the cooking program they currently have, there’s not enough room for everybody who wants to participate. They can expand that.”
That’s true for all the programs offered at Boys & Girls Clubs, which give kids opportunities to participate in activities that can help them succeed in life. Elisa mentioned academic assistance and financial classes and talked about how the Club has been especially beneficial to teens.
As attorneys for the City of Prosser, she and Ben can offer a unique insight into how the Club has impacted Prosser teens and families.
Ben discussed some of the ways in which generational crime becomes ingrained in a community. When parents are part of a gang, it can be difficult for their children to break the cycle.
“These kids don’t have opportunities for something else,” Ben said. “But teens are looking for something else to do besides getting into trouble, so giving them opportunities and a safe place to go is huge, and it’s certainly something people want.”
Since the Prosser Clubhouse opened, “we’ve seen a reduction in juvenile crime,” Elisa noted.
“These kids truly do want these opportunities,” Ben continued. “The opportunities just oftentimes aren’t offered to them. If you offer those opportunities, people take advantage of them.”
Other programs, like college tours, allow teens to see what’s possible for them after graduation.
“Some of these kids don’t have families that have a college background, but because of the Boys & Girls Club, they get to visit colleges and see what that’s like,” Elisa said. “Being there helps kids realize, ‘I can do this, and I can go to school here, too.’ These opportunities uplift them and give them goals and aspirations for life beyond high school.”
Kids and teens also benefit from having positive role models.
“Sometimes having just one positive adult or mentor or role model in a kid’s life can completely change their trajectory,” Elisa said. “I know we have the best people working in these Clubs, supporting and uplifting kids. The more we can expose kids to positive role models and give them a positive influence, the more opportunities there are to change kids’ lives.”
Although the Prosser Clubhouse has been able to do a lot of good for local youth, Ben and Elisa know the new Clubhouse will be able to do even more by serving more kids and giving them more program opportunities.
Regarding the future of the Prosser Clubhouse, Elisa said, “What I’m looking forward to most is just helping more kids. We’re helping so many kids stay on a positive path with positive role models in a healthy, safe space, and that’s just good for everybody. It’s primarily good for the kids, of course, first and foremost, but it’s good for the community, too.”
“I also love the fact that we’re repurposing an old facility,” Ben said. “We’re using it to do something better instead of building from the ground up and taking up more land. We’re saving resources and improving that whole part of the community.”
“We’re giving more services to kids. We’re being good neighbors and good community members,” Elisa continued. “It’s a win-win in every possible way.”