When Jiraiya talks about Kids Club, one thing is clear: it’s a place he won’t forget.
“It’s the best place I’ve been,” he said. “I want to remember every single thing about it … I have very great memories of the place.”
This May, Jiraiya graduated from Kids Club after a year of growing alongside caring volunteers, trusted friends and encouraging staff who invested in him academically, socially and spiritually.
To Program Coach Kylie, one of the most meaningful parts has been watching that growth unfold. “He originally came in pretty quiet, pretty hard to get through to both staff and other kids,” Kylie shared.
His mom, Cristina, said that before Kids Club, Jiraiya often kept to himself in social settings and struggled with confidence around other kids.
“He’s always put himself down thinking nobody wants to be his friend,” she said. “I feel like Kids Club has just given him that courage to actually go out and try to make those friends.”
Over time, something began to change.
Now, Kylie says, “He’s very vocal … about his love for the other kids and the friends that he’s made here.”
Jiraiya says Kids Club helped him build friendships, grow in confidence and learn more about God through reading the Bible and conversations about faith.
“It taught me more about God so I can trust Him more and believe in Him and spread it to others,” he said.
Kylie remembers when conversations about Jesus were completely new to him.
“When he came to Kids Club, that’s not something he even knew about,” she said. “Now … he’s very strong in his conviction about what he believes and who the Lord is for him.”
Cristina says she began noticing that growth at home too.
“He’s actually started reading the Bible a little bit on his own,” she said. “Just to get him to read even a regular book, it’s hard, but he does it on his own.”
As Jiraiya grew in confidence, he also became someone who encourages and cares for others.
“He’s very protective over the people that he loves,” Kylie said. “He’s checked in on me before and asked, ‘You seem stressed. Are you okay?’”
Cristina says she has seen that change too.
“He’s picked up a lot of good traits,” she shared. “He’s more caring now. He pays more attention to other kids’ feelings than other people, like even adults’ feelings in general.”
For Cristina, one of the most meaningful parts of Kids Club has been knowing her son was surrounded by adults who truly cared for him.
“I always tell him that his teachers and the people at Kids Club … everybody cares about him and they just want him to do good,” she said.
As our conversation wrapped up, we asked Jiraiya if there was a specific moment when he felt really cared for by someone at Kids Club.
Without missing a beat, he answered confidently: “Every single time I’m here.”
