Petaluma, CA – On the afternoon of Friday, June 23, California State Assemblyman Jared Huffman visited the Lucchesi Park Clubhouse for the second time.  His initial visit was during the 2008 Youth of the Year event, where the Assemblyman presented youth honorees with official certificates of recognition.  With the bustling Club Camp as its backdrop, his second visit offered Assemblyman Huffman an opportunity to see the facility and learn more about Club programs and its impact on the community.  It also provided the Club a chance to spend time with the 6th District representative, discussing legislation and future opportunities to reach out to those young people that need it most.  The visit was both lively and informative!

Assemblyman Huffman’s hour at the Club was chock full of excitement.  Leading up to the day, Club Members prepared greeting cards and a welcome banner to greet Huffman.  The tour of the seventeen thousand square foot facility included the Clubhouse’s Discovery Room, games room, art room, Imagination Room, gymnasium, and teen center.  There was a brief stop in the Clubhouse’s pool area, where a discussion of future plans ensued. Maddie Simmons, a Club teen staff member, commented on the needs of today’s Petaluma teens, “Teens in Petaluma need a place to go where they feel safe.  They need a place that they can go with friends and not have to look over their shoulders.  That just doesn’t exist right now.”  Club professionals and Huffman took time to discuss the reality that teens are facing, what the Club was doing about it, and what else could be done.  The tour wrapped up in the Club’s administrative office, where the conversation led to upcoming Club events and legislative opportunities.  Club staff shared with the 6th District Assemblyman the impact made by the State of California’s Prop 49 After-School Education and Safety funds.  These ASES funds, in partnership with the Petaluma City Schools and Old Adobe Union School Districts, allowed new Clubhouses and extensions to be created on the McKinley, McDowell and Bernard Eldredge Elementary school campuses.  These new sites have been instrumental in positively changing the lives of nearly four hundred young people in little more than a school year. 

“The Club is deeply appreciative of all of Jared’s support, and can’t emphasize enough the impact that Prop 49 funding has had on the lives of Petaluma youth! The Club is fortunate to have such a strong supporter in California State Assemblyman Jared Huffman!
Before leaving, Assemblyman Huffman surprised the Club by picking up a guitar and playing the popular children’s song “Down by the Bay” to approximately 20 Members in the Clubhouse’s Discovery Center.  Huffman showed that not only is he passionate about the environment and the future of children but also being a musician! 

Boys & Girls Clubs of Petaluma has been building better lives in the Petaluma community for 50 years, providing daily programs and services to over 45,000 youth since 1958. The mission is to enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to realize their full potential as productive, responsible and caring citizens. The Club operates 10 clubhouses throughout the city, and is open everyday after school and from 7AM – 7PM in the summer. Club members participate in a variety of programs that emphasize character and leadership development, education and career enhancement, health and life skills, the arts, and sports, fitness and recreation. In addition, the Club’s Athletic Department offers leagues and clinics in basketball, baseball, volleyball, swimming, soccer and football. To learn more or to provide support to the Club, please call 769-5322.