Shiprock B&G Club building still serving public

By Brian Hassler
Staff Writer

SHIPROCK — Despite currently being closed, the Boys and Girls Club building in Shiprock is as alive as it has ever been.

The Shiprock chapter, which has been closed to children while awaiting the outcome of President Joe Shirley Jr.'s decision, is still running and open to the public.

"Our building is alive because of our volunteers," said Vangie Benally, Wellness Center Coordinator. "There's just no kids here but least we're helping our community by keeping the building open and they're happy that they are able to use the building as well."

Use of the building has changed since Navajo Nation leadership decided it wanted to take over the running of the non-profit clubs and the doors have been closed to children in Shiprock because of liability concerns.

"Everything is closed, all the clubs are closed except us," said Benally. "Kids can't come in because of liability issues with insurance and we don't have that. A lot of people that come in and utilize our facility have to have an insurance carrier and sign a waiver."

The building is open each day from 1-9 p.m. and serves a variety of uses including providing an exercise center for community members, a large gym for the clients of the Behavioral Health Services and for basketball practices and dances in the evenings.

Benally added that the money for the payment of utilities and maintenance has come from the various groups that still use the facilities and from the dances that are held at the building.

"That's how we've been able to rent our facility for dances and that helps to keep the electricity bill being paid," she said. "This is a big facility and the electricity bill is really high right now, but with the fund-raisers that people do and the rental of the gym, it helps us keep the building alive."

Returning the building to full activity has received support from Shirley, including the pledging of enough money to open the club back up for six months and calling the club the Boys and Girls Club of the Diné Nation.

Benally can still remember the first day of school when children showed up and the club had to close its doors.

"We have lots of kids, the poor things," she said. "I remember the first day they started school and they came here and the club was closed. It was really sad to tell the kids that we were sorry that they couldn't be in the building because of liability issues."

Should Shirley approve the changes, there would likely be two Boys and Girls Clubs within the Navajo Nation but any additions would be fine with Benally if the area children have a place to go.

"We really need our clubs open for our kids, gosh, they have no place to go," Benally said. "We're excited that this is going to happen, that we'll get to open our clubs, but then you have to wait. We've been up and down, we've had the clubs closed, then opened and then closed. Now we're just waiting."

Shiprock Boys and Girls Club volunteers are currently encouraging community members to send letters to President Joe Shirley requesting support for the reopening of the Shiprock Boys and Girls Club.

"We're just sitting on eggs right now and waiting for the 10 days to see what's going to happen," said Benally. "Our community has been so supportive and right now we're trying to ask them to write letters of support to open the clubs."

— Brian Hassler is The Independent's Four Corners reporter based in Shiprock. He can be contacted at (505) 360-7862 or via email at brianhassler@hotmail.com.