Going mobile

Deirdre Newman

On Wednesday afternoon, as the overcast sky threatened rain,

9-year-old Javier Munoz and 13-year-old Eddie Lopez huddled over a

friendly game of chess on Center Street in Costa Mesa.

Undeterred by the ominous clouds, the pair carried on as other

kids on the block played basketball and tetherball and rode scooters,

creating a carefree Norman Rockwell tableau of suburbia.

The children were not playing at a neighborhood park, but in the

middle of the street, which had been blocked from traffic. And smack

in the middle of the street stood a giant colorful van with games and

arts and crafts materials stored inside.

With this “Mobile Recreation Van,” the city of Costa Mesa provides

fun after-school activities to children who don’t have access to them

otherwise, either because they don’t live near a park or recreational

facility or their parents work during the day, said Lisa McPherson,

the city’s recreation coordinator.

“This program brings it to them,” McPherson said. “Anything we can

do to keep kids away from bad things in the world.”

The Mobile Recreation Program started in 1999 as recreation staff

members were wrestling with the challenge of serving youth in

low-income areas. Around that time, the city got a new S.W.A.T. van,

making the old one available.

After researching how other cites provided mobile recreation, the

staff jumped on the chance to use the S.W.A.T. van, McPherson said.

The first task was removing all the artillery and police equipment

and outfitting it with crayons, markers, games and hula hoops.

The city’s only requirement was that the van serve Shalimar

Street, to provide recreational activities for Shalimar Learning

Center, and JoAnn Street, because it was not near any parks,

McPherson said.

The van now also cruises to Valencia Street on Thursdays and added

Center Street on Wednesdays this fall. The van also visits

neighborhood parks on the first and third Friday of every month.

MOSTLY FUN AND GAMES

Chess is just one of the games provided by Mobile Recreation.

Coordinators set up other board games, plus basketball, tetherball

and arts and crafts.

“I like all the games and stuff,” Eddie said. “I don’t really have

a favorite.”

On Valencia Street one Thursday, 6-year-old Dalia Rodriguez was

diligently drawing a picture to give to her mom.

“I get to color flowers here and give them to my mom, and it makes

her happy,” Dalia said.

Students can also work on their homework.

MOBILE CONVENIENCE

Parents love the convenience of Mobile Recreation. They know their

kids are close to home and they can even hang out with them while

they play.

Nora Ramirez enjoys watching her daughter Carla, 5, color and play

with the other kids on Valencia Street.

“It’s good for the kids to play together because then they have

more friends,” Ramirez said.

Jennifer Webster, whose two sons participate in Mobile Recreation

on Center Street, said the program is a boon for the parents on her

block.

“A lot of the parents of these kids are working full-time,”

Webster said. “This is great guided-recreation time suited for all

different ages. They can do homework, different athletic activities,

crafts, and the counselors are wonderful and [they] make sure they’re

sensitive to the residents on the street.”

CREATING CAMARADERIE

The bond between the kids and the counselors and among the kids

themselves is apparent.

Jun Gandia, 20, a student at Orange Coast College, enjoys teaching

the kids cool basketball moves, such as spinning the ball on his

fingers a la the Harlem Globetrotters. Gandia used to coach an

eighth-grade team at Costa Mesa High School, but wanted to be

involved with kids year-round.

“I like working with kids and putting a smile on kids’ faces,”

Gandia said.

The older kids who participate act as a role model to the younger

kids, like 14-year-old Morgan Webster.

Morgan, who enjoys playing basketball and tetherball, said he

enjoys helping the younger kids improve their athletic abilities.

“[It’s cool] to hang out with my younger brother and his friends,”

Morgan said.

And Mobile Recreation allows the kids to get to know their

neighbors outside of the academic setting of school.

“It’s good because everyone knows everyone, and if there’s a

party, we can invite everyone,” Eddie Lopez said.

* DEIRDRE NEWMAN covers Costa Mesa and may be reached at (949)

574-4221 or by e-mail at [email protected].