Rocket ship party takes off

Lauren Vane

The buttered popcorn was popping and the hot dogs were on the grill

Sunday afternoon at the Laguna Club for Kids’ third annual open

house. Parents and their children joined the club’s staff in a

fundraising event to benefit the scholarship program and pay for club

supplies.

The event, “Rock-It Around the Rocket Ship,” was timed with the 2

p.m. dedication of the rocket ship at Bluebird Park.

Shelley Cox Jones, executive director of Laguna Club for Kids,

said they decided to coordinate the open house with the dedication

because there is an important relationship between the club and the

community. “We really teach our kids to be community involved,” Cox

Jones said.

The clubhouse overlooks Bluebird Park and club members use the

park everyday. “That’s our backyard; we’re so lucky,” Cox Jones said.

The fundraiser featured a silent auction and a raffle where

participants could enter to win a two-night stay at Montage Resort

and Spa, and dinner for two at the Loft Restaurant.

Children roamed back and forth between the clubhouse and the park,

participating in games and playing on the new rocket ship for the

first time. The Blues Offenders, a local band who volunteered their

music to the open house, held a concert on the grass.

“Everyone’s having fun and that’s our goal,” Cox Jones said. “We

just want them to come in and feel at home.”

The Laguna Club for Kids has been a part of the Laguna Beach

community since 1972 and offers morning kindergarten and afternoon

care for children in kindergarten through age 12, in addition to

special summer and winter programs.

Cox Jones said the children receive homework help and an afternoon

snack when they come to the club. According to Cox Jones, the club

promise a ratio of 10 or less children to every one staff member.

Laguna Club for Kids recently added a new computer lab and is going

through a remodel.

“It’s one kick in the pants,” Cox Jones said. “We have a really

good time.”

Jennifer Butler, of Laguna Beach, volunteers at the club as a

board member and said her two boys are members. “I like that it’s

safe and it’s structured,” Butler said. “They [my kids] don’t just

mill around.”

Butler said she likes that there is a structured program.

Tricia Harper and her husband Cameron Fraser, of Laguna Beach,

were also helping out with the open house by selling organic coffee,

with the proceeds going to the club. Harper’s son, Carter Fraser, is

a past member who has participated in the summer program.

“I love that the kids can go and play in the park,” Harper said.

“They’re comfortable, they feel safe here.”

Carter, 7, is also enthusiastic about Laguna Club for Kids. “You

get to go to the water park and the beach,” Carter said.

“It’s like summer camp everyday,” said Carter’s father, Cameron

Fraser. Harper and her husband also said that the club is an

affordable option for child care.

“It’s just a fun clubhouse type of environment,” Harper said.

Laguna Club for Kids has about 50 kids a day and school buses drop

them off from Top of the World and El Moro.

Cox Jones has been the executive director of the club for seven

years and said she was an original member in the 1970s.

“I loved it as a kid and I never dreamt I would come back as the

director,” Cox Jones said. “I’m very fortunate.”