ALMA — Although Zach Dean played sports while growing up in Alma, he understands that not all children are sports-obsessed.
As the executive director of the Boys & Girls Club of the Alma Area since June 2008, he has emphasized nonsports programs. Yes, the club has a full-size gym that sees plenty of use, but Dean is just as excited about programs like the Keystone Club, a community-service group for boys and girls ages 14-18.
“Our emphasis is on programs,” Dean says. “A lot of clubs you’ll see emphasize sports. We emphasize programs that develop their character, that develop leadership in these kids, that teach these kids to have integrity. We do the health and fitness aspects, but we put more of our emphasis on the kid itself, not on sports.”
Dean, 30, graduated from Alma High School in 1997 and from the University of Arkansas a decade later. He took time off from school when he married his wife, Jasmine, with whom he has three children, Zayne, Eden and newborn Beckett.
Before earning his degree in recreation management, Dean interned at the Boys & Girls Club in his hometown, which had opened a20,000-square-foot facility in July 2006. Upon completing his internship, Dean was hired full time.
“I thought, ‘I’ll just go down there and do my internship there,’” Dean says. “My goal was to come out of there and be a teacher at a public school. I came here and the kids and the job drew me into wanting to stay.”
The majority of children who come to the club are from Alma, although Dean says kids from Rudy, Dyer, Mulberry, Mountainburg, Van Buren and Fort Smith also visit.
The club is open from 3-6:30 p.m. on school days,closed weekends and open from 7:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. on most weekdays when school is not in session. Over the summer, the club sees an average of 110 kids a day.
A yearly membership is $10 ($20 starting Jan. 1). The basic membership admits them at 1 p.m. For an additional $6 a day or $15 per week, children can stay at the club from 7:30 a.m. until 1 p.m., during which time they are served breakfast and lunch.
The club will be open six days during the Alma School District’s Christmas break, Monday-Wednesday of this week and next.
“The majority of ourmoney is from individuals and companies,” says Dean, who routinely works with the lights off to save on utility bills. “Right now with the economy, that’s pretty tough. We get a little bit of state funds and a little bit of federal funds, but in 2008, we had to cut some staff, unfortunately. Whatever we can cut back, we do.”
There is no shortage of activities at the club. Beyond the gym, which has a performing-arts stage, there’s a teaching kitchen, where once a month the Women’s Community League of Alma teaches cooking.
The facility also has a darkroom, where kids learn to take and develop black-andwhite photographs; a technology center where they learncomputer skills; an arts-andcrafts room, a jungle room (for kids 11 and under) and a teen center.
The teen center features a piano, pool table and foosball table. On a recent day, the teen center was closed due to messiness, but it would be reopened as soon as its users cleaned it up. Fun and games are a part of the Boys & Girls Club of the Alma Area, but teaching responsibility is even more important.
“It’s a fun place to work, but at the same time, it’s very rewarding,” Dean says. “You get to mentor these kids and push them to go to college and get an education.” More information on the Boys & Girls Club of the Alma Area is available from Dean at (479) 632-2070.
Northwest Profile, Pages 37 on 12/20/2009