Boys and Girls Club must move — again
BY JOHN L. GUERRA
NEWS WRITER
Dan Dombroski has had to move so many times it’s making his head spin. The problem is, he is responsible for moving his children, too — all 130 of them.
Dombroski, executive director of the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Keys Area, Inc. — which is second only to the school system in providing daycare, free lunches and organized activities to low-income children — must move the program out of Glynn Archer Elementary School by June.
Dombroski and his charges are relocating to the empty Reynolds School — two years after losing their space in May Sands School. Dombroski and his aides had to move all their computers, files, desks, chairs and equipment to Glynn Archer, their then-new home. The school district sold the school to the City of Key West two years ago, robbing the Boys and Girls Club of that location. The city will use the building for administrative offices.
“This is the third time we’ve had to move in five years and the fourth time in 12 years,” said Dombroski, who spoke to KonkLife from his office as workers performed demolition just yards away. “I’ve been asking the city for a permanent home for the Boys and Girls Club for years; we’re still trying to work that out.”
The serious tone in Dombroski’s voice is not permanent. A good-humored man with an infectious laugh, he approaches the ironies of life with a sense of humor.
The kids are safe during demolition, of course. The club occupies the gymnasium and adjacent locker rooms for activities, games and meals, while construction work is underway in the main school building.
“They’re knocking the building down from around our ears,” Dombroski, a native New Yorker, joked. Though he sees the humor in it, he still feels that the children in his program have, in a sense, been shortchanged by the community. Should the program ever fold, parents would have to scramble to find friends or relatives to watch their kids during the day.
During the school year, the non-profit receives funding from the Monroe County Human Services Board, the Monroe County School District, the City of Key West, the Department of Juvenile Justice, the national Boys and Girls Clubs and donations at its annual Margaritaville fundraiser — which is coming up May 11.
The club provides free breakfasts for kids from 5 to 12 years old. When school lets out, the program offers after-school care until a parent picks them up in the evening. The kids get snacks, play games and enjoy activities until it’s time to go home.
In the summertime, the group meets from 7:45 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday at the pavilion at Bayview Park. The all-day program includes breakfast, lunch and sports and, when it rains, indoor activities. Dombroski and his aides take the kids on outings to Marlins home games and other field trips. That way, parents who can’t afford expensive summer camps or private daycare programs can go to work knowing their children are socializing in a safe and structured environment.
But alas, the pavilion has its limitations, especially as demand for the summer program grows.
“That little spot in Bayview won’t cut it, we need a cafeteria,” Dombroski said. “Last summer we had 130 kids, but lack of space meant we had to turn back 30 other kids.”
Parents usually begin calling for spots a few weeks before the end of the school year. This year, parents started calling around Christmas.
The families who come to Dombroski have an average income of $24,000 a year or less, far below the poverty line. About 60 percent of the families in his program pay nothing or are charged a reduced rate.
“The families that rely on us are parents who make the hotel beds, clean the rooms, wait on tables and care for the tourists. If they can’t live in Key West, are we going to bus our workers in from out of town?”
City Commissioner Tony Yaniz agrees that the Boys and Girls Club must have a permanent home where it can provide more space for the children who need the safety and fun of a structured play environment.
Developers, with the city’s permission, are considering knocking down the Police Athletic League boxing gym near the waterfront and building new facilities there. Yaniz would like to see it used by PAL and the Boys and Girls Club.
“This community cannot do without the Boys and Girls Club,” he told KonkLife this week. “We want to build an amphitheater on the Truman Waterfront, which will become a homeless hotel, but we can’t find a permanent home or build a permanent facility for a program that hundreds of families depend on, year ‘round? It doesn’t make sense.”
Dombroski, meanwhile, is making himself mentally prepared to make the move to Reynolds School. He’s going to need help and hopes tradesmen, volunteers and parents will help move desks, chairs, filing cabinets, computers, books, toys, kitchen items — everything the organization uses — to the new location.
“We don’t have a lot of time,” he said. “Last day of school is June 6. We’ll be open June 7. If you’re a tradesman or know how to hook up computers and Internet, we can use your help. ”
Anyone interested in giving Dombroski a hand should call 305-296-2258.
[livemarket market_name="KONK Life LiveMarket" limit=3 category=“” show_signup=0 show_more=0]
The Boys and Girls Club deserve more from the School District, much more. MCSD sometimes treats the Boys and Girls Club as if they were competitors to be put out of business as opposed to colleagues pursuing the same objectives.