Police, club have a ball
“Who wants the chief of police on their side?”
The kids lined up along the west side of the Lakes Middle School gymnasium responded the loudest to after-school program coordinator Gwynn Crabtree’s question, so Coeur d’Alene Police Chief Wayne Longo jogged over.
Minutes later, a furious game of dodgeball erupted. Longo and two other Coeur d’Alene police officers were in the thick of it, running and throwing rubber balls across the gym along with the dozens of Lakes students at an after-school program put on in part by the Boys & Girls Club of Kootenai County.
“They’re not here to search you; they’re not here to bother you. They’re here to be your friend and help you succeed,” Boys & Girls Club Executive Director Ryan Davis told the children.
Having police officers interact with children in a nonconfrontational way “breaks down that barrier” by letting them see police as friends rather than foes, Davis said.
Longo serves on the board of directors for the club and said he’s committed to seeing the program flourish in Kootenai County.
“The Boys & Girls Club is a proven program that helps reduce juvenile crime,” Longo said.
The club has about $1.2 million of the $2.9 million it needs to build a center in Post Falls. In the meantime, a taste of what the center would offer can be found at Lakes after school until 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.
“You can do volleyball, basketball, and the best thing is we do it as a group,” said eighth-grader Shay Sperling. “You can always meet new people.”
Group games and activities, guest speakers, field trips, pizza and prizes – the activities change daily, so things stay interesting, said sixth-grader Alexis Deruelle.
“I just like hanging out with everybody and doing all the fun activities that we do,” she said.
The Boys & Girls Club hopes to keep the Lakes program operating even after the Post Falls center opens. The need to fit in, to belong, to find something to do and someone to do it with drives most kids to the club, Davis said.
“If you look at why kids join gangs, it’s no different than why they join the Boys & Girls Club,” Davis said.
By hooking children into positive activities at a young age, the Boys & Girls Club can be a proactive way to reduce juvenile delinquency, Davis said.
Seventh-grader Andy Duzet stays at Lakes for the program every day he doesn’t have homework. Were he not there Wednesday, he said, he’d probably be plopped on the couch playing video games.
“It gets you active,” he said.