By THOMAS GRILLO
LYNN — Mia Deleon didn’t have any plans this summer, but that all changed when a youth center at St. Joseph Parish launched this week.
“I like it a lot,” she said. “It’s not like school. Yes, they teach us things, like vocabulary words, but we have fun too.”
The fourth-grader is one of 85 youngsters who joined the five-week program designed to teach English as a Second Language, as well as reading, grammar, vocabulary and math.
But it’s not all reading, writing, and arithmetic. When the lesson ended at noon on Friday, Mia, 9, joined her classmates for lunch and a game of basketball in the parish hall.
Thanks to the generosity of an anonymous donor who provided an undisclosed amount of money, the Archdiocese of Boston contacted Rev. Wellington Oliveira and Rev. Israel Rodriguez at the parish on Green Street to launch the unique, no-cost program. Staffed by nearly two dozen tutors and volunteers, the project is designed to keep kids from grade four through high school out of trouble and on-task.
“The donor wants to invest in an area that needs social, educational and religious development improvement, and Lynn meets all that criteria” said Oliveira, 37. “Many of our kids are first generation and because of developmental delays and their slower integration into society, they don’t have the same opportunities as other children. That may explain why so many of them are vulnerable to violence, gangs and drugs.”
The Brazilian native said it’s not just an ESL program. There are sports and games to provide a balance between the four classrooms and several play areas.
“We can’t solve all of Lynn’s social problems, but what we can do is to offer the kids love and that’s at the heart of the program,” said Oliveira. “Most important is they have a home here and there’s someone 24/7 if they need to be consoled or have someone listen to them.”
Rodriguez said the program began with 32 children on Monday. But that number more than doubled by week’s end when word spread.
As a result, the parish is already planning to launch a year-round after-school program that will start in September.
“We started small, but hope to grow so we don’t have to turn anyone away,” said the 38-year-old priest from Spain. “There are thousands of kids in Lynn who could be eligible.”
Leo Cruz, 10, said he’s having a blast.
It’s very fun,” he said. “At the beginning of the day, we learn English, but when we’re done in class it’s all fun and games.”
Thomas Grillo can be reached at tgrillo@itemlive.com.