MATTHEW SUSANJ YOUTH CENTER - HISTORY AND PURPOSE

 

The late Carmel Cecala provided the history below. The Cecala's were among the many farm owners of the Almaden area, as were many of the original youth center board members. The Matthew Susanj Youth Center has been in existence since the mid1940’s.  In 1943 Matthew Susanj came to Almaden School as principal.  The school was then located at the Southeast corner of Almaden Road and Donner Road. (This is now Almaden Expressway and Blossom Hill Road.) Children of the area met for various club activities across Donner Road in a dry shed made of a cover, one wall, and a hard dirt floor. The other three sides were open to the elements.  Mr. Susanj felt this was inadequate, and fostered the idea of a youth center for the area to be funded by donations. With the support of many Almaden area community leaders, a fund raising drive generated about half of the required money. The Athenour family donated the remaining funds. Before the building was completed, Mr. Susanj died, and the youth center was named in his honor. The youth center is located just Southeast of Blossom Hill Road and Almaden Expressway next to the Toys R Us store.  Over the years it has served as a meeting place for Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Cub Scouts, Brownies, Campfire Girls, Blue Birds, 4-H Club, Little League, Senior Citizens, and free health clinics. The facilities include a kitchen, restrooms, and a 1500 square foot hall area. Funds to operate the youth center in past years were raised by holding an annual dance; however, this practice failed to support the youth center, so users of the center now pay a very modest use fee that varies depending on the number of users in the group. Users are non profit organizations of the local community. As of May 1980 the users are The Almaden Senior Citizens, 4-H Club, The Cloggers Dance Club, The Almaden Homing Pigeon Club, and The Uechi Ryu Karate Club. It is also used by other groups as scheduling allows for various functions and meetings. Scout groups, 4-H club and other similar youth groups use the facility free of charge.

 

It has been about 25 years since the above information was noted. Since then the youth center has continued to be used within the same framework. There has been occasional use of the facility by an Explorer Scout group, a church group, and a Vietnamese youth club. The Pigeon Club, and the Uechi Ryu Karate club still use the building, and in recent years the Yoshimura Ju Jitsu club has also been making use of the facility. These clubs include, but are not limited to, teen age and 20's youth participants as well as many seniors. The seniors club as such has disbanded since many of its members passed away, and additional senior groups in the area were created using more modern facilities.

 

Currently the youth center is in dire need of repair and upgrades. The building is functional, but quite run down and unattractive. The wood frame windows are suffering dry rot damage, and there is extensive termite damage. Also, the exterior paint is peeling. These are the chronic problems. There are many other needs. The Youth Center is seeking financial assistance (tax deductible) to improve the facility and restore its functional value to the San Jose community. The Youth Center has received a grant in 2001-2002 from the Healthy Neighborhood Venture Fund (HNVF). The amount received will partially renovate the building. Donations are also needed from the community to address many needs not covered in the scope of the grant.

 

The Youth Center is collaborating with the Almaden Community Center, and will be providing space for community center run programs. This will be especially useful to the community during the period of time the current Almaden Community Center is unavailable because it is being razed to provide space for a new larger community center at the same site.

 

 

By: Dave Sargent, President, Matthew Susanj Youth Center. May 30, 2002