(Oct. 6, 2016) A summer of varied experiences was what members of the Berlin Youth Club encountered during their most recent involvement in the program, as they helped paint a town mural, learned how to make pizzas from scratch, played on the waterslides at Jolly Roger Amusement Park and planted a garden at the multipurpose building on Flower Street.
For several years, Worcester Youth and Family Counseling, with funding from the Town of Berlin, has offered free activities for dozens of area children, ages 6-11, through the club.
Activities for this year wrapped in early September, but coordinator Amanda Chaffee is looking ahead and hoping another volunteer or two will help expand the program next summer.
She said the club was at capacity, having drawn around two dozen participants to its biweekly activities, with at least a half-dozen more on a waiting list. The children rode in two 15-passenger vans to each stop along with Chaffee and three interns, one of them an unpaid volunteer.
“It would be nice if we could expand,” she said. “We couldn’t do it without another staff member, whether than means a paid college intern or a volunteer. We would need more support.
“Ideally, it would be really awesome if the volunteer was consistent, because it’s really nice for the people to build relationships with the kids,” Chaffee continued. “It makes a difference.”
Whoever it might be would have to pass a background check and, ideally, have a clean driving record.
During the last session of the Berlin Youth Club, Baked Dessert Café owner Robin Tomaselli, local Chef Phil Cropper and Berlin Police Chief Arnold Downing were participants in several of the activities, Chaffee said.
Cropper threw the children a “Mexican fiesta feast,” decorating the “Ray” room inside Worcester Youth and offering a crash course on quesadilla making.
Tomaselli arranged for participants to tour the kitchen at a local Five Guys restaurant and learn how to make pizza at Siculi Rustic Italian Kitchen in Berlin, as well as add homemade frosting to emoji cupcakes at Baked.
Downing and other members of the Berlin Police Department chaperoned trips to Jolly Roger and the Stratosphere trampoline park in Delmar.
“It’s really awesome to have the kids see the police in such a positive manner,” Chaffee said. “And ‘Chief’ is amazing. The kids loved working with them. We had all these great people who were so intertwined in the community and had so many different relationships with everybody.”
Next year, Chaffee said she hoped to take the kids to a few more swimming classes in Ocean Pines – this summer they went to Mumford’s Landing three times – and increase community service activities.
“I want to find community service that they really enjoy doing, so they can see that it’s fun giving back,” Chaffee said. “Building on the community service is something that I want to do, but I want their ideas incorporated.”
She also said she wants to get the families more involved.
“I’m very fortunate that I’ve gotten to know many of the families, and I think it would be really neat to maybe do two family events in the summer,” she said.
Chaffee, who has run the Berlin Youth Club for two years, brightens when talking about the children in the program.
“I do really enjoy it,” she said. “It’s really exciting to see the kids do things differently. Last year, we went on the Assateague Explorer, and it was many of the kids’ first time going on a boat. Stuff like going to Siculi and making pizza, or having Phil Cropper from Worcester Tech come over – who’s a real chef in a restaurant – come and show them how to make quesadillas, or Robin with decorating the cupcakes – how cool is that?
“These are kids that weren’t always interested in trying new things,” Chaffee added. “To see them come out of their shell a little bit and to recognize it is really neat. It is program unique to Berlin and it includes the Berlin locals and the small businesses. And it’s great that the town provides us funding to do such cool activities. We’ve been very fortunate.”
For more information, or to inquire about volunteering, visit Worcester Youth and Family Counseling at 124 N Main Street in Berlin, call 410-641-4598, or visit www.gowoyo.org.
For several years, Worcester Youth and Family Counseling, with funding from the Town of Berlin, has offered free activities for dozens of area children, ages 6-11, through the club.
Activities for this year wrapped in early September, but coordinator Amanda Chaffee is looking ahead and hoping another volunteer or two will help expand the program next summer.
She said the club was at capacity, having drawn around two dozen participants to its biweekly activities, with at least a half-dozen more on a waiting list. The children rode in two 15-passenger vans to each stop along with Chaffee and three interns, one of them an unpaid volunteer.
“It would be nice if we could expand,” she said. “We couldn’t do it without another staff member, whether than means a paid college intern or a volunteer. We would need more support.
“Ideally, it would be really awesome if the volunteer was consistent, because it’s really nice for the people to build relationships with the kids,” Chaffee continued. “It makes a difference.”
Whoever it might be would have to pass a background check and, ideally, have a clean driving record.
During the last session of the Berlin Youth Club, Baked Dessert Café owner Robin Tomaselli, local Chef Phil Cropper and Berlin Police Chief Arnold Downing were participants in several of the activities, Chaffee said.
Cropper threw the children a “Mexican fiesta feast,” decorating the “Ray” room inside Worcester Youth and offering a crash course on quesadilla making.
Tomaselli arranged for participants to tour the kitchen at a local Five Guys restaurant and learn how to make pizza at Siculi Rustic Italian Kitchen in Berlin, as well as add homemade frosting to emoji cupcakes at Baked.
Downing and other members of the Berlin Police Department chaperoned trips to Jolly Roger and the Stratosphere trampoline park in Delmar.
“It’s really awesome to have the kids see the police in such a positive manner,” Chaffee said. “And ‘Chief’ is amazing. The kids loved working with them. We had all these great people who were so intertwined in the community and had so many different relationships with everybody.”
Next year, Chaffee said she hoped to take the kids to a few more swimming classes in Ocean Pines – this summer they went to Mumford’s Landing three times – and increase community service activities.
“I want to find community service that they really enjoy doing, so they can see that it’s fun giving back,” Chaffee said. “Building on the community service is something that I want to do, but I want their ideas incorporated.”
She also said she wants to get the families more involved.
“I’m very fortunate that I’ve gotten to know many of the families, and I think it would be really neat to maybe do two family events in the summer,” she said.
Chaffee, who has run the Berlin Youth Club for two years, brightens when talking about the children in the program.
“I do really enjoy it,” she said. “It’s really exciting to see the kids do things differently. Last year, we went on the Assateague Explorer, and it was many of the kids’ first time going on a boat. Stuff like going to Siculi and making pizza, or having Phil Cropper from Worcester Tech come over – who’s a real chef in a restaurant – come and show them how to make quesadillas, or Robin with decorating the cupcakes – how cool is that?
“These are kids that weren’t always interested in trying new things,” Chaffee added. “To see them come out of their shell a little bit and to recognize it is really neat. It is program unique to Berlin and it includes the Berlin locals and the small businesses. And it’s great that the town provides us funding to do such cool activities. We’ve been very fortunate.”
For more information, or to inquire about volunteering, visit Worcester Youth and Family Counseling at 124 N Main Street in Berlin, call 410-641-4598, or visit www.gowoyo.org.