The MVP (Mighty Valiant Purposeful) Kidz program is a big hit in city parks where through fun, games, music, clowns, dancing, prizes and a message about Jesus, area children are asked to help create a peaceful Santa Paula.

MVP: Mighty Valiant Purposeful
Kidz the goal of new program

August 19, 2015
Santa Paula News

The MVP (Mighty Valiant Purposeful) Kidz program is a big hit in city parks where through fun, games, music, clowns, dancing, prizes and a message about Jesus, area children are asked to help create a peaceful Santa Paula.

The effort is a collaboration between SPIRIT of Santa Paula, Santa Paula Police Clergy Council, South Coast Fellowship of Ventura (which helped establish the local program) and area churches notably Puente de Vida – Bridge of Life and Santa Paula Church of Christ.

According to Puente de Vida - Bridge of Life Church Pastor Adelita Garza, the van, which kicked off July 17, is now at Veterans Park Saturdays at 11 a.m. and on Tuesdays at Obregon Park for activities that start at 4 p.m.  

It’s not easy to miss when MVP Kidz are at the park: the oversized delivery van is brightly painted and decorated with appealing signage…and of course when the clowns exit the vehicle awareness only grows.

The clowns as well as other volunteers have been trained to work with children who take part in the program.

The purpose of MVP Kidz said Garza is to help kids kindergarten age and others of elementary school age and to “serve the city best” by avoiding gangs and drug abuse through taught life skills and values.

Studies have shown that the earlier children can be introduced to positive influences and behaviors the less likely they will take part in criminal activity as a teenager or adult.

The MVP Kidz program “shares” comfortably sized delivery vans with other churches and the first week it launched it served 140 area children.

“Basically,” said Liz Perez of Santa Paula Church of Christ, “it’s Bible school—but we come to the kids!”

Garza noted Santa Paula is particularly well suited for the MVP Kidz program, which encourages interaction and positive behaviors through games, music and dancing under the watchful eye of coordinators and helpers including several happy, helpful clowns.

“With the climate in Santa Paula we can hold it year round,” said Garza.

Creating MVP Kidz was a community effort: “We have multiple supporters,” that donated time, labor, materials and money.

“Everything that was done was out of the generosity of the businesses of Santa Paula” in what Garza said was a “team effort with the churches and businesses…”





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