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Center building Community |
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Thursday, 11 September 2008 |
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By Tagen Towsley BLACKFOOT - When Sandra Bynum, Ashlee Howell, and Arlen Pilkington got together they had similar ideas on what they wanted to offer the Blackfoot community. They knew there was a need in Blackfoot for a community center so they decided to combine their efforts and work together under one roof. Since that time the Community Center has been running successfully for a year and a half, and is continuing to expand its programs.  Submitted Photo
Children cut and paste images to make collages during a class at the Blackfoot Community Center. Some of the art classes offered at the center this fall are Shark Art for ages 5 -7, Drawing Painting and More for ages 8 and up and Adult Art Class and Open Studio.
“One of our main goals when we started the Community Center was to offer classes locally. That way families could come and takes classes here for a more affordable price, and not have to travel out of town,” Howell said.
The Community Center offers a variety of classes from tumbling, to art, and an after school program. The SHARK after school program stands for snacks, homework help and tutoring, arts and crafts, reading and recreation for kids. The after school program is in conjunction with the Boy Scouts of America Learning for Life Program, and the Modern Woodmen Youth Service Club. This year the Community Center is gearing their after school program toward educational fun.
“We still have the karate and tumbling available in the after school program, but we are really concentrating more on educational activities this year,” Howell said.
The after school program runs Monday 2 - 6 p.m., and Tuesday through Friday, 3 - 6 p.m. The cost is $20 a week or $5 a day. There are sibling discounts available.
Sandra Bynum teaches art classes at the Community Center for ages four and up. Throughout the week there are classes available during the day for kids and on Tuesday evening a class for adults. Bynum uses the Montessori method when teaching her art classes.
“I like to teach with an open ended outcome. My students are free to use their creativity, and come to their own conclusions. I give the kids the supplies, and a little bit of instruction. Then I let my students go and be creative. One of the reasons I love teaching is to see what my students can really accomplish. It is always a lot more than what they think they can do,” Bynum said.
Kokondo karate classes are offered Tuesday from 4:30 - 5:30 p.m. and Friday 4 - 5 p.m. The first karate class is free. The style of Kokondo karate is more geared toward self defense than sport karate. The style was taught in the Blackfoot area years ago and that is one reason why Arlen Pilkington wanted to bring Kokondo back.
“There is a lot of interest in karate in this area. I like seeing my students progress. They become more focused and improved in their skills. I had a lady take my class and at first she was so standoffish. By the end of class she had completely changed. She was confident. Part of what we want to accomplish at the Community Center is for kids to leave with self confidence. We want them to be able to go out into the world and be successful,” Pilkington said.
The Community Center is always looking to expand. Right now cheer and tumble classes are offered along with karate, art, music, ballroom dance and more. There have been requests for guitar lessons, creative writing workshops, and science club.
“We are always looking for people who would be interested in teaching a class. We would welcome anyone who would like to teach their own class, or even volunteer. Any commitment, or time would be wonderful for volunteering. Even if someone could only come in one time we would appreciate it,” Howell said.
Even though they have accomplished a lot at the Community Center, there are still goals the staff would like to meet.
“We are further along with our goals now than we thought we would be in the beginning. When we reach a goal we set new ones. One problem we are facing is that we are running out of room. Within the next few years we would like to purchase this building and remodel so we can keep up with our growing numbers,” Howell said.
The Community Center has had a lot of positive feedback from parents and kids in the area. One of the goals is to have programs available for older kids.
“The kids want to be here. The older ones want to come back. People have been very positive, supportive and optimistic toward us. That keeps us going. People are really happy they can take water color classes in Blackfoot,” Bynum said.
The Blackfoot Community center has fliers which list the times and cost of their classes. The fliers are available at 157 W. Sexton Street. For more information about the Blackfoot Community Center call 681-0367 or 785-8022.
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Last Updated ( Friday, 12 September 2008 )
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