It may be cold outside, but things are warming up at the Mosholu Montefiore Community Center (MMCC). Staffers are keeping busy planning for its spring programming, registering neighborhood kids for its swell of programs available for all ages.
March is the beginning of baseball season for boys and girls ages 4 ½ to 16 years old. The MMCC Boys & Girls Baseball and Softball League is taking registration with games slated for April. Parents are encouraged to sign up their little sluggers before the first pitch next month.
At the group’s main headquarters in Norwood, Saturday classes are available for kids interested in basketball, ballet, hip-hop dance, karate, drama, cooking, weight training, tutoring in math and English, art, and gymnastics. MMCC offers SAT prep and computer classes as well as swimming lessons.
Mosholu Day Camp is gearing up for its camp season at Bear Mountain on Lake Cohasset. Boys and girls entering kindergarten to sixth grade can sign up for a camp experience that takes you to a more natural setting. Camp Sunshine serves 5- to 12-year-old campers with special needs. They are lined up with regular activities to give campers a true outdoor experience.
MMCC’s Teen Trailways (also known as the so-called “camp on wheels”) is available for campers from seventh to tenth grade. The campers travel daily to pools, beaches, state parks, museums and other recreational and educational facilities throughout the tri-state area. The program culminates in a fantastic three-night trip to Virginia Beach. Camp Elan, the camp for special needs teens, is integrated into the Teen Trailways’ itinerary. Camp fees have been reduced, with average rates going for $500 per camper with no extra charges, according to MMCC’s organizers.
The Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) has begun taking applications in March. Additional services for teens include an evening teen center, GED classes, out of school youth program, culinary cooking program, security certificate training, Family Choice (assisting families in choosing a high school for middle school students), and college bound programs.
For more information, stop by MMCC at 3450 DeKalb Ave. at the corner of East Gun Hill Road from 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. The center is also open Saturdays 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, call (718) 882-4000 ext. 0, or check out their website at www.mmcc.org.