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WEEKLYPRESS.COM ·
UCREVIEW.COM · AUGUST 10 · 2011
Safe haven and social center for youths who want to stay away from trouble
By Nicole Contosta Staff Reporter
A
ccording to an arti- cle published in the Philadelphia Inquirer
on January 21, 2011, Police Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey, was quoted as say- ing, “that Philadelphia still has the highest rate of gun violence among major cit- ies.” But Lorenzo Corbin and Phyllis Lackey couldn’t let themselves not do anything in response to Commis-
sioner Ramsey’s statement and others like it—espe- cially not when it comes to the city’s youth. After all, when one considers all of the challenges an adoles- cent has to confront: im- age, friends, family, grades and for older teens—job responsibilities—the last thing they should have to worry about is violence. That’s why Corbin and Lackey opened the Club Eclipse Social Network lo- cated on 5021 Baltimore Ave last year.
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“We were just trying to have a place where young adults can come in and keep themselves off the street and out of trouble,” Corbin explained, adding, “It’s a place where kids and their family can come to en- joy themselves.” When walking into the Club Eclipse Social Network, it’s not hard to imagine young adults having fun there. Complete with a pool table, arcade classics like MS. Pac Man as well as those of- fered on Xbox and Wii, Club Eclipse offers a wide variety of games. It also has ample room for kids to dance to when playing some of the music games offered on Wii, such asMichael Jackson. For Corbin, in addition to giving kids the opportunity to relax in a safe haven, he’s a strong believer in exercise and staying fit. According to Corbin, this method of activity proves “more ef- fective because it allows the kids to dance. It gives them the same benefits of
Kids having fun at the Club Eclipse Social Network. Located on 5021 Baltimore Ave, the club offers the chance for adolescents to have fun in safe environment. Photo:provided by Lorenzo Corbin.
exercise but it’s more fun because kids love music.” And for overweight kids, this type of activity can prove especially beneficial. Corbin even encourages the parents of overweight children, who may be over- weight as well to stop by the club and get on the floor.
While the Club Eclipse So- cial Network, does not of- ficially offer a health com- ponent for its participants, Corbin gives kids advice about how making changes to their diets can prevent the early onset of diabetes. The charge for kids play-
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ing at the network “is three dollars for the afternoon,” Corbin said, going to ex- plain that far, he and Lack- ey have paid for all of the Network’s equipment out of pocket. “So our market- ing budget is pretty limited. Most of the kids hear about us through word of mouth in the neighborhood.” But one of the ways Corbin would like to increase the Network’s influence in- cludes working with the Philadelphia School Sys- tem. Instead of the sports activities the kids engage in during gym class, Corbin would like to incorporate the Wii’s music games into the curriculum. Since opening its doors, the surrounding community has had a positive response. “A lot of kids just want to have somewhere they can relax and have a peaceful time. They don’t want to have to worry about dra- ma.” Adults can also rent the room for peaceful, relax- ing parties, Corbin added. For more information on the Club Eclipse Social Net- work: 267-602-6408.
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