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About 30 people gathered at the Martin V. Smith Youth Center in Oxnard for a reception thanking those that donated to the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Oxnard of Port Hueneme in the last two years. (courtesy photo)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Oxnard and Port Hueneme\u2019s youngest residents will soon receive have access to training for science-oriented careers from their local Boys & Girls Club.<\/p>\n
Exceeding its goal to raise $5 million by about $80,000, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Oxnard and Port Hueneme thanked donors and club leaders at a reception Tuesday for their contributions toward\u00a0building science, technology, engineering, art and\u00a0agriculture, and math centers at each of its four club locations in Oxnard, Port Hueneme and Nylon Acres.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe kids in our community need these opportunities,\u201d said Erin Antrim, CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Oxnard and Port Hueneme.<\/p>\n
Beginning in elementary school, each of the approximately 10,000 students enrolled within the local Boys & Girls Club can join programs to prepare themselves for a high-paying careers in the county\u2019s leading commercial and science-based industries, such as agriculture and manufacturing.<\/p>\n
The students will engage with\u00a0activities that revolve around 3D-printing, robotics, horticulture and engineering.<\/p>\n
The funds, which were raised over two years,\u00a0will also go toward\u00a0upgrading the organization\u2019s technological infrastructure and building and maintaining its endowment, according to Antrim.<\/p>\n
She said each of the four science centers will be completed by the end of 2022.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou guys are changing kids\u2019 lives everyday, just like you changed mine,\u201d said 15-year-old Amethyst Glass, who was recognized as the organization’s youth of the year.<\/p>\n
Glass has been visiting the Boys & Girls Club for the past 10 years, attending leadership programs and advocating against drug and alcohol abuse. The organization helped build her self-confidence and become an up-and-coming leader in the community.<\/p>\n
Glass said she hopes to one day sit on the Boys & Girls Club board of directors to help the community\u2019s youth to achieve their dreams.<\/p>\n
\u201c(The Boys & Girls Club)\u00a0really showed me how to be a leader, how to be myself,\u201d said Glass, who is currently transitioning. \u201cIt\u2019s really empowered me to do what I have to do.\u201d<\/p>\n