Free afterschool programs at Cleveland recreation centers help keep kids away from crime

CLEVELAND, Ohio (VOYO) – More than 1,000 children took the Pledge Against Gun Violence at 20 recreational centers throughout Cleveland.

Joe Wise has coached the Michael J. Zone youth team for over ten years.

“We had young people who saw deaths first hand,” Coach Joe said. “You saw people get shot, you witnessed someone shoot someone they were with, and because you were with them, you got shot at. You get through it, and now you can tell the story to other kids that this is not the place to be.”

Unfortunately, in Cleveland, children are not only victims of gun violence, but also criminals. The 19 Solutions team looked at how after-school programs at local recreation centers can keep kids off the streets.

For Coach Joe, it’s all about the kids. He says if they spend their free time at the city’s after-school programs, they’ll end up on the basketball court rather than in juvenile court.

“You have time to eat, stretch and sleep, and that’s what we talk about, when they leave me, some of them don’t feel comfortable saying, ‘I love you,’” Coach Joe explained. – You know, I’ll say it first.

20-year-old Savonte Quarles began coming to the Zone when he was 10 years old. His life changed when he met Coach Joe.

“He saw me play one day and then he saw something good in me: I practice every day, every time I come here, and we just grew a bond,” Quarles said.

Quarles is just one of many success stories. He currently plays college basketball at Tri-C.

“Joe pushed me to work hard even when I didn’t want to be pushed, like he picked me up from school, took me home, fed me after practice,” Quarles explained. “A lot of kids these days don’t have a role model, it’s like the first thing they do is jump on the street, don’t go to school, don’t have anything good for themselves. So, I think this is really important. We just need to get more kids involved.”

Right behind him is 17-year-old Seydou Digio. At 6-foot-8, he dreams of playing in the NBA. DiGio says Joe kept him on track and made sure he never missed any homework.

“I always looked to Joe, Joe would tell me the right thing to do, so I never had a hard time getting involved in bad things when Joe was around,” DiGio explained.

Coach Joe says the door is always open for kids who fall in with the wrong crowd.

“In a world where it seems like no one cares, here is someone who cares, I care,” Coach Joe said. “I had a wonderful father and mother, as well as a family foundation that supported me. So I would like every young child, regardless of their demographic group, where they live or how much money they have in their family, to have the right teachers and the right education.”

All Cleveland recreation programs in full for free.