Success of Boys & Girls Club results in expansion to Perris

Boys & Girls Club CEO John Whann stands with Tommie Brown in the new club space in Perris. Menifee 24/7 photos: Doug Spoon

By Tommie Brown, Staff Writer

With all the buzz surrounding the success of the Menifee Boys & Girls Club, as well as their ever-present involvement with the community, it’s no surprise that John Whann, the club's CEO and executive director, would be given the honorable responsibility of opening up the new Boys & Girls Club in Perris.



Being a Boys & Girls Club member himself during his youth, Whann felt an inherent desire and calling to work with children and adolescents. After obtaining his degree in Recreation System Management at San Diego State University, Whann sought guidance from his advisors on which direction to take with his career.

"I knew I didn’t want to be in a classroom," said Whann, "but I also knew I wanted to work with kids. I was reminded of the Boys & Girls Club by my advisor and remembered the inspiration they had on me growing up. I actually didn’t realize at the time the people working for Boys & Girls Club were being paid to hang out with me. I thought they were just so cool and were my friends playing basketball after school. I wanted to recreate that."

Hired in 2014 when the Menifee club was serving only about 45 kids a day, Whann now supervises a club that has a staggering 2,000 members in total. Is clear as day that Whann has succeeded in reaching his goal.

While Boys and Girls Clubs across the country offer the same basic foundation of providing care and guidance to children and teens alike, predominantly after school hours, Whann has turned the Menifee location into something special.

The club provides transportation from school campuses to the Boys & Girls Club's Menifee Valley Elementary School location, designates homework assistance time, offers enrichment programs and includes both snack and dinner. The youth in the hands of this Boys & Girls Club staff seem to tackle everything from A-Z in just a few hours’ time. 

Not to mention the wide variety of extracurricular programs offered to the kids. From Taekwondo to dance to football to theater to music, the list seems to go on of all the options offered to the children and their guardians. 


"The Boys & Girls Club here is unique because of all the different programs. Every child will have something to enjoy," says Whann. "These kids don’t have to be an athlete, or a dancer. They can be any type of child and still enjoy the club."

But aside from all of the activities and treats given to the children that make even an adult want to try their luck at signing up, the Boys & Girls Club also makes health and wellness a focal point of its mission and future expansion.

"We give eye exams to the children and even provide free glasses to the children that qualify. We have had in the past someone come in and offer free haircuts. We just try to do things to make sure this isn’t just programs, but the overall wellness of these kids," explains Whann.

After proving themselves more than capable, Whann and the Menifee Boys & Girls Club staff embark on their newest journey of opening up a Club on D street in the neighboring Perris community.

"Perris is a community that needs a Boys & Girls Club as well," says Whann. "We have done a good job at putting kids first and providing programs for them in the Menifee location. So we want to take that blueprint and bring the same enthusiasm to Perris (right)."

With a much smaller facility to work with this time around, Whann and staff are looking at an estimated 60 youths max per day. But that isn’t stopping them from treating their new location with the same large scale planning they have mastered in Menifee.

"Transportation will still be provided," assures Whann. "We have access to the park across the street. The same programs will be given; we aim to have the same classes offered, too. We may not have everything right away, but we will consistently work towards it."

Feeling just as excited about the project as Whann himself, officials of the City of Perris are giving their full support of the new club location.

"From the mayor to the assistant city manager to members of the school district, everyone has been really supportive of this," says Whann. "We have sat in meetings with the City Council and will soon sit with the Perris Rotary Club. Our Board of Directors has been behind us and that makes it exciting to provide this for Perris.”

Though there is no definite date for the Perris location's grand opening, Whann and his team aim to be accepting applications in May, opening the club's doors right before the Boys & Girls Club Summer Camp of 2019.

But with all great endeavors comes a great need and call for assistance. From staff to volunteers to donations, the future Perris Boys & Girls Club is looking for aid in its start-up. 
While the staffing process has not yet begun, the club is always looking to accept volunteers with cleared background checks. And as expected, donations are always more than welcome.

In fact, on March 30 at the March Air Force Base, the Boys & Girls Club will hold a "Roaring 20’s" themed fundraising event to benefit the new Perris location. For more information, contact Julia Burch at JuliaB@MenifeeBGC.org.