Making Friends: Hundreds of area children spend summer building relationships at Ralph Wilson Youth Club
By AMY ROGNLIE | Photos courtesy of RALPH WILSON YOUTH CLUB
“It’s very fun to be at Ralph Wilson because you can make friends and be lifelong friends,” said 10-year-old Penelope Olivencia. “I’ve been going here since I was five years old!”
Ralph Wilson Youth Club in Temple is just that kind of place.
“What makes Ralph Wilson Youth Club so unique is the fact that so many of our parents and employees attended the youth club as children. As a result, they have a truly personal connection with the youth club,” Brett Williams, executive director of RWYC, explained. “In addition, in many cases, our youth are second and third generation members of the youth club. Ralph Wilson Youth Club embraces the fact that we are expected to be the best and we deliver on providing the absolute best experience for our youth.”
During the summer, 600-650 elementary school aged children stream through the doors every weekday, eager to see their friends and the RWYC staff. Students are greeted individually at the door and start their day with a smile. The club’s 47,000-square-foot facility includes an art room, a fine arts studio, a kitchen, three full gyms, a computer lab, library, video game room, movie room and other play areas with traditional games like pool, ping-pong and foosball. Daily fun also includes planned activities such as cooking, arts and crafts, and games. In addition, local groups such as Altrusa, Cub Scouts, University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, Temple College and the local chapter of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes come in and do special programming for the RWYC summer participants.
“The youth club provides a middle school-like experience, even for the younger children, as to how they transition from area to area,” Williams said. “Our kids are more prepared for school because they learn to transition through different environments and learn the expectations of each. For example, the art room is always quiet.”
Outside, students have access to a covered playground, a large grassy play area and covered basketball courts. And besides keeping kids busy and active, RWYC partners with Temple Independent School District’s food program to provide free breakfast and lunch to all summer program students. However, students are welcome to bring their own meals and a snack bar is also available where children can purchase items such as hot dogs, chips or granola bars.
Students attending the summer program also take 50 field trips to various attractions in the Central Texas area, such as Inner Space Caverns, Temple Mall’s Xtreme Jump, or the Cameron Park Zoo.
“My favorite field trip is to Xtreme Jump! We can do all kinds of activities there and it’s fun to be there with all my friends,” Penelope said. “And at the club, I like it because the staff plays games with us like ping pong or pool.”
For the summer program, RWYC employs 40-50 full-time staff members, mainly comprised of UMHB and Temple College students. And the staff is the heart of the club, according to Williams.
“You can’t just like kids to work here. You have to love kids,” he said. “We’re all about relationships and if we do things right, the kids will remember the club, yes, but what they will really remember is the staff and the relationships.”
Ralph Wilson Youth Club’s mission is to offer an organized and supervised environment which provides boys and girls of Temple and surrounding areas the opportunity to share social, educational, and recreational experiences regardless of race, color, or creed, as they develop their capacity to be self-sufficient and responsible members of the community. The youth club takes pride in creating life-changing experiences and relationships with our youth. Being a member of Ralph Wilson Youth Club gives every youth a sense of belonging.
Ralph Wilson Youth Club
Address: 1515 S. 25th St., Temple
Phone: 254-773-9001
Website: www.rwyckids.org
Facebook: facebook.com/rwyckids
