CLARION, Pa. – The Clarion County YMCA is gearing up for a new season of Summer Soccer for youth. Kids from Clarion County and beyond are invited to join the program to build a solid foundation for team sports and learn soccer skills.

YMCA Summer Soccer is a participation-based program for boys and girls in pre-kindergarten through fifth grade (for the 2025-2026 school year)!

The YMCA program focuses on learning the fundamentals of soccer while fostering teamwork and sportsmanship. Volunteer coaches lead practices, and games are held every Saturday at the YMCA Sports Field on Mayfield Road.

The YMCA has revamped the program for pre-kindergarten and kindergarten, ages 4 to 6,  with a YMCA staff-led clinic-style program! This new structure is designed to improve their skills and knowledge of the game through drills, objective-based games, and scrimmages.

The program is led by Clarion County YMCA Associate Director, Max Krepps.  Krepps has a background in Youth Sports, having served as the Youth Director at the Oil City YMCA for nine years.

Pre-K & K Division (Ages 4-6)

• Meet on Mondays from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. starting June 23rd

1st & 2nd Grade Division

• Practices during the week to be determined by the coaches
• Games at 9:00 a.m. on Saturdays, Starting July 12th

3rd, 4th & 5th Grade Division

• Practices during the week to be determined by the coaches
• Games at 10:30 a.m. on Saturdays, starting July 12th

Register for YMCA Summer Soccer by June 19th at 5:00 p.m. to guarantee a team t-shirt! Teams will be created on June 20th, and parents will receive an email with team information, practice times, and schedules.

Registration is available ONLINE or by calling 814-764-3400.

Parents can also stop by the YMCA, located at 499 Mayfield Road in Clarion, to enroll their children.

Extreme heat, flooding and lack of tree coverage have serious effects on the well-being of community members

Katarina Schmeiszer, Grace Sawin and Ada Spiwak

Nicole Flynt and Al Peeples talk about how enviornmental issues affect the community.

“Green” is not the word that comes to mind when walking down the Blue Hill Avenue corridor in lower Roxbury. Children play in parks with patchy grass and bathe in pools of rain and groundwater on a flooded street on a hot day in summer. This sea of tar and bare concrete isn’t a consequence of weather; it is a testament to the chronic lack of greenery in traditionally low-income and minority neighborhoods throughout Boston.

Environmental issues along Blue Hill Avenue

The area around Blue Hill Avenue, the main artery spanning Roxbury and Dorchester — what the City of Boston describes as “Boston’s central spine” — is an urban heat island, where a high concentration of concrete and a lack of green spaces can lead to local temperatures up to 7 F higher than surrounding areas. The area is historically home to Boston’s Black and immigrant communities.

Each neighborhood is part of Boston’s urban heat island and is hotter than the surrounding areas, but areas like Downtown Boston benefit from increased tree coverage, which Roxbury and Dorchester lack. Source: City of Boston

Aljemall Peebles grew up on Blue Hill Avenue and is now a youth project director for Project RIGHT (Rebuild and Improve Grove Hall Together), a collaborative organization that is working to address issues of housing, violence and economic development in Grove Hall.. He has seen how the community has reacted to environmental stressors and is concerned about how excessive heat leads to more violence.

Peebles’ experiences have led to his role as a youth activity worker for Project RIGHT, which he joined to run the youth basketball league. Growing up, Peebles loved to play sports but had no access to organized leagues. . The community has been able to expand these youth programs despite adequate resources, such as proper courts or buildings with air conditioners, being available. Last summer, during a pilot program in the new facilities, temperatures reached 95 F.

Aljemall Peebles grew up on Blue Hill Avenue and is now a youth project director for Project RIGHT (Rebuild and Improve Grove Hall Together), a collaborative organization that is working to address issues of housing, violence and economic development in Grove Hall.. He has seen how the community has reacted to environmental stressors and is concerned about how excessive heat leads to more violence.

Peebles’ experiences have led to his role as a youth activity worker for Project RIGHT, which he joined to run the youth basketball league. Growing up, Peebles loved to play sports but had no access to organized leagues. . The community has been able to expand these youth programs despite adequate resources, such as proper courts or buildings with air conditioners, being available. Last summer, during a pilot program in the new facilities, temperatures reached 95 F.

Heat islands not only exacerbate the demands for technologies that emit large amounts of climate-warming carbon, like air conditioning, but they can also worsen air quality, contributing to respiratory issues and other pulmonary health effects. In 2023, according to data from the Boston Public Health Asthma Report Roxbury and Dorchester ranked the second highest in asthma rates.

In Boston, areas such as Roxbury, the South End and Dorchester, as well as Allston and Brighton, have elevated surface temperatures.

Community Impact

Residents of Blue Hill Avenue feel these impacts every day, and as the warmer seasons approach, community members brace for extreme heat.

According to a survey conducted by the city of Boston, the burden of heat exposure in residential homes “falls disproportionately on Black and Latinx communities.” Residents often feel too hot to stay home during warmer days, leading them to find refuge in community centers.

Al Peeples, youth program director for Project RIGHT, is working to address violence in his neighborhood, which is exacerbated by the disproportionately high heat Blue Hill Avenue experiences.

“We’re coming up on the summer, you will see how hot it is around here. And there’s only one cooling center… When you have a lack of cooling centers and nowhere for teenagers to go that creates a problem,” said Peeples.

Other than feeling excessive heat, residents surrounding Blue Hill Avenue also face adverse health effects because of increased dust and particulate matter in the air from pollution and mold from flooding.

“There are health implications of these issues. For example, asthma due to mold from flooding or due to air pollution,” said Moira Zellner, professor of public policy and urban affairs at Northeastern University and director/project lead of Project Common SENSES, a collaboration between Northeastern University, the communities in Roxbury and Dorchester and the City of Boston.

You said:

This is Boston, divided up by neighborhood and where Blue Hill Avenue runs in Boston. Blue Hill Avenue runs through Roxbury, Dorchester and Mattapan to the edges of the city.

Here are the asthma emergency department visits among 5 to 17 year olds in Boston per 10,000 residents age 5-17. Note: Dorchester is the average of two rates. From the most recent City of Boston Heat Resilliance Plan (2023), ED visit data from 2014-2015

Here is the change in tree coverage by Boston neighborhoods. In Roxbury and Dorchester, where Blue Hill Ave runs, tree coverage has either decreased (lightest green at -0.9) or remained constant (slightly darker at 0.0).

Residents said the biggest factor that made their neighborhood hotter than other places in Boston, the most common answer was “very few trees, according to a streets and corridors survey conducted by the city of Boston,

Mockup of what an area along Blue Hill Avenue could look like with more trees. This lot is located at 639 Warren Street which currently has a plan in development to add a large residential and commercial building.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, areas with more tree coverage can be up to 7 F cooler than areas without.

Community Action

Groups like Project RIGHT are working to achieve their goals through community engagement and activism.

“It’s an uphill battle, but what’s so amazing is the people. The community members that are constant. Constant, and steadfast, and resilient…they are here for the long run,” said Flynt.

Project RIGHT hopes to mitigate violence through community and youth involvement and create spaces that promote community building and currently has ongoing programs focusing on arts, civic engagement, public safety, sports, substance use, trauma and youth development.

Nicole Flynt is the Grove Hall Community Leader for both Project RIGHT and Project Common SENSES, two groups working to combat the environmental injustice on Blue Hill Avenue.

“When it comes to dense or moderate to low income, or even I dare say Black and brown neighborhoods…we’re overlooked a lot,” said Flynt. “And that’s not right at all. So we have to make a change.”

For community members like Flynt, these changes would improve their quality of life for generations to come.

“I have a grandson, he is 4 years old, I want him to live a good life. I want him to run in some grass, and feel the trees and breathe fresh air without having to leave the neighborhood. We always have to leave, why do we have to leave?” said Flynt.

Recipients include Lake County Historical Society in Kenmare, Glenburn Booster Club, Mohall-Lansford-Sherwood Public School District and Burlington Recreation Commission.

A $4,000 grant from MACF’s Mabel Kizima Fund was awarded to Lake County Historical Society to support the construction of an accessible boardwalk at the Pioneer Village in Kenmare. The boardwalk connects newly constructed ADA-compliant restrooms to the historical site, which includes 27 historic buildings and various exhibits, such as a dress shop, toy museum and military museum. It was built entirely by volunteers in the community.

A $5,000 grant from the Mike & Dorothy Dolan Fund was provided through the Glenburn Booster Club to help Glenburn Public School install a new playground structure, surfacing and basketball hoops. The existing equipment is more than 30 years old and beyond repair. This project serves students in Glenburn and neighboring communities, including Minot Air Force Base, Deering, Lansford and Ruthville.

A $10,000 grant, also from the Mike & Dorothy Dolan Fund, was awarded to the M-L-S school to replace the original gym floor at the high school.

Submitted Photo
Minot Area Community Foundation presents a grant to the M-L-S school. From left are: back, Jason Zimmerman with MACF, Jordyn Moberg, Emerson Lamb, Robert Zumbaum, Carson Nett, Lawson Kersten, Bryce Johnson, Ryan Anderson, Heidi Newgard; front, Sidney Knutson, Sydney Guenthner, Raegan Fitzsimmons, Staci Kenney with MACF, Matt Undlin, Abigail Buynak, Brooks Tracey, Samantha Berg and Kaden Brekhus.

A $4,050 grant from the Mike & Dorothy Dolan Fund was awarded to the Burlington Recreation Commission to support the 2025 youth sports season. The funding will go toward equipment and field supplies for programs such as Tiny Tots, T-ball for Tots, Coach Pitch & Cal Ripken baseball and elementary softball.

“Rural communities are the heart of our region, and their well-being is essential to the strength of our entire area,” said MACF President Jason Zimmerman in a news release. “We’re honored to support projects that not only meet immediate needs but also help build lasting infrastructure, community pride and inclusive spaces for generations to come.”

Submitted Photo
From left, Glenburn School Superintendent Larry Derr and Jaime Hauge of the Glenburn Booster Club hold a symbolic check for playground equipment, presented by Staci Kenney and Jason Zimmerman with Minot Area Community Foundation.

Closing ceremonies united families and celebrated the resilience of a town rising

Malibu Little League’s Closing Ceremonies on June 3 brought the community together in a joyful celebration of youth sports, resilience, and local pride. The beloved annual tradition included a vibrant parade, thrilling games, and heartfelt tributes — a day that reminded everyone of the spirit that defines Malibu.

The festivities began with a colorful parade, as all T-ball, softball, and baseball teams rode in custom floats, with teammates, coaches, and family members. Malibu Mayor Maryanne Riggins joined the procession, waving proudly with the players and celebrating the town’s youth.

After the parade, the league’s youngest athletes circled the infield of the baseball fields, their faces lit with excitement. Awards, recognitions, and team trophies were distributed by league and city officials. Players sprinted across the diamond to collect their team’s box of trophies, laughter and music echoing from the speakers as families cheered them on.

The day’s highlight was the Majors Division Championship Game — a gripping 11-inning showdown that lasted over four hours. In a testament to endurance and teamwork, the Reds emerged victorious, closing the season with a hard-fought win that kept fans on the edge of their seats.

But the event was more than just a celebration of baseball. Earlier in the season, the league honored the Malibu Fire Brigade and Fire Department at the opening ceremony. In a symbolic gesture of gratitude, these local heroes threw out the first pitch, receiving a standing ovation from the crowd for their ongoing dedication to the community’s safety following the Franklin and Palisades Fire. 

As children took to the field, their joy symbolized something deeper — the resilience of a town that continues to standstrong in the face of adversity. In the wake of the devastating fires this past year, Malibu has once again proven its strength, unity, and ability to come together and play on.

Malibu Little League remains a vital part of the community — a place where friendships are built, confidence is nurtured, and the next generation learns what it means to be part of something bigger than themselves. This season was not just about the game — it was a celebration of hope, healing, and the bright future ahead.

The Malibu Little League closing day parade on Saturday, June 7. Photos by Emily Scher/TMT

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