Pahrump Valley Youth Activities summer program returns for 15th year
The longstanding Pahrump Valley Youth Activities (PVYA) summer program has returned for another year, offering an important resource to families in the community.
“PVYA is a program that’s provided [during] for the summer for families that don’t have the opportunity to have babysitting, daycare or anything else,” PVYA Director Christian Apolinar told the Pahrump Valley Times. “Because Pahrump really doesn’t have a lot to offer in that sense, so we give them an opportunity to really have a safe space.”
A six-week summer program that kicked off late last month, PVYA is designed for Pahrump’s youth ages 6 through 12. This year’s program is being held at J.G. Johnson Elementary School.
“I think the most important part is just seeing how the kids are coming with a positive attitude, willing to interact and socialize with other kids that they may not see at their own school, since we have the whole community coming to one location. So just seeing them grow up and seeing that there’s a positive influence,” Apolinar explained.
At the summer program, children are divided into age groups and rotate between different activity classrooms. PVYA features an art room, a building room, a video game room, a board game room and a PE room for children to enjoy.
“I think the biggest impact for sure has been just knowing that the families are truly supporting us as a community,” Apolinar elaborated. “We come along every year, we see all these kids age out, and some of them have worked for us, just seeing how it’s kind of like a spinning wheel over and over. Just that security, that sense of belonging and just having the opportunity of really getting to know each other as a community.”
PVYA first began in 2010 when Tom Metscher and others founded the project after they felt there was a need for it in Pahrump during the summer months.
“It’s kind of just been a grassroots program that’s grown under a lot of people’s influence,” Metscher told the Pahrump Valley Times. “There’s just a need to reach those kids that need something to do in the summer and families that need to have something.”
Metscher added that the PVYA summer program is made possible with support from the NyE Communities Coalition, the Nye County School District and the family of the late local businessman and philanthropist Tom Saitta.
“As long as there’s a demand and a need for it, we’ll try to keep operating,” Metscher enthused.
For more information about the PVYA summer program, visit its Facebook page under Pahrump Valley Youth Activities or contact pahrumpvalleyyouthactivities@gmail.com.
There is currently a wait list for enrollment in this year’s program. If interested in joining the wait list, message PVYA on its Facebook page or call (775) 537-4343.
Contact reporter Elijah Dulay at edulay@pvtimes.com
