Best After-School Hangout Boys & Girls Clubs of Tucson
2585 E. 36 St.
5901 E. Santa Clara Ave.
1375 N. El Rio Drive STAFF PICK: Give us your tired, your latchkey, your teenage
kids longing to do more with their afternoons than watch Ricki
Lake. The Boys & Girls Clubs of Tucson have it
all. For a truly nominal fee (as little as $1 per quarter), a
kid has access to the clubhouse six days a week. Each branch has
a gym, a game room, arts and crafts activities, a computer room,
and a library. Each day after school, more than 150 kids gather
at these clubhouses to hang out, play some ball, and do their
homework. The latter activity is given top priority, and kids
who complete their work get first shot at the Club's other attractions.
At the Steve Daru Branch, members of a local adult basketball
league (including doctors, lawyers and engineers) volunteer their
time helping the kids with their homework and then with their
jump shots. (They're generally better with the former than with
the latter, which is probably as it should be.) The Boys &
Girls Clubs are great, safe, fun places to be. They're a boon
to our community, and a ready answer for the kid whose mantra
is, "And do what...?"
