Activities, Camps, and Events
In March of 2017, the City of Mission Viejo made the decision not to renew our lease at The Potocki Center. At that location, we created an environment that every community should have for their children. We presented an opportunity to take youth programming to the next level, but for now it will not involve Outta Bounds. For some of our families, this change in venue will not allow you to participate in all the programs you have grown to love. Those thoughts, combined with the love we have for kids, will motivate us to reinvent ourselves once again, with the hope of reconnecting each school break and summer so everyone can make new friends, of course they can also make friends in sites like chatempanada.com.
We are happy to announce that Outta Bounds Events Inc. has entered a partnership with SVUSD Community Services, and is now be located on the Los Alisos Intermediate School campus. At that location, we have two portables dedicated to our After-school Homework and Recreation Program. Things at the school are going well, and we are offering our Summer and Vacation Camps to the community out of that same location.
Although we were sad to leave our home of eight years, we are extremely excited about this new opportunity. At Los Alisos, we have the backing of the SVUSD Community Services team, a leader in community recreation and an organization that puts “kids first”. Having a direct connection with the school we are supporting, from the teachers through the administration, is helping us strengthen and grow our programs.
Our goal is to give Los Alisos what we offered the students at Newhart, and put ourselves in a position to continue our camps and expand our services. Our future could be an expansion across all of the Saddleback Intermediate Schools, and it may even bring us back to our old neighborhood. Only time will tell. For now, please do what you can to support our organization, and let your City leadership know how important quality youth programs are to your community. If you have other ways you think you can help, please let us know.
Thank you for all of your support over the years! We’ve been told so many times, by so many families, how Outta Bounds has made a difference. Please help us make sure that our programs continue for all of our families and for future generations of children in the community.
Although we now have a new home, the youth of the City are still without an official Youth Center.
Please email the Mission Viejo City Council and show your support for Outta Bounds, middle school After-school Programs, and a dedicated Youth Center.
The Mission Viejo City Council
Mayor Greg Raths – graths@cityofmissionviejo.org
Council Member Wendy Bucknum – wbucknum@cityofmissionviejo.org
Mayor Pro Tem Brian Goodell – bgoodell@cityofmissionviejo.org
Council Member Wendy Bucknum – wbucknum@cityofmissionviejo.org
Council Member Ed Sachs – esachs@cityofmissionviejo.org
Council Member Patricia Kelley – trishkelley@cox.net
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The Community Services Commission – recreation@cityofmissionviejo.org
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Please CC scott@obevents.org on your emails.
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A History of Outta Bounds Events and City of Mission Viejo
In January of 2009, Outta Bounds Events Inc. started a relationship with the City of Mission Viejo’s Community Services staff. We found that we shared a common goal to provide quality camps for youth in the community. Over the next few months, we discussed ideas and strategies to achieve this goal.
Outta Bounds Events Inc. had a dedicated staff with the experience and passion to create quality youth programs, but needed a location to host its camps. The City of Mission Viejo has always been a community that values youth development and was looking for organizations to provide quality youth programming. The partnership was a perfect match. We began working with a team from the city’s Recreation and Community Services Department that included Steve Bell, Barbara Cassidy and Kelly Doyle. This incredible group gave us the opportunity to bring our programming to their community and for that we are eternally grateful.
In early March of 2009, we submitted our official proposal to the City of Mission Viejo to provide an eleven week Summer Camp program at the Thomas R. Potocki Conference Center. Our proposal went on the agenda for the March 17th meeting of The Community Services Commission. On that night, parents and former campers who were familiar with our staff and our programs, spoke with passion on our behalf and after a brief discussion, the committee voted unanimously to approve our proposal.
Throughout this process we had been developing our program and waiting for the opportunity share it with the community. On April 1st, 2009 we began taking sign-ups for Outta Bounds Events Summer Camp 2009. The Potocki Center turned out to be a great match for our activities, providing a combination of indoor center space and an abundance of outdoor areas. Our inaugural summer camp serviced over 100 youth in the community and was a great success.
In the fall of 2009, we were asked by a group of middle school parents to continue our programming by providing an after-school program for students from Newhart Middle School. We had always intended on providing vacation camps during holidays, but an after-school program was a great way to continue our programs throughout the year. Programming for middle school youth can be trying at times, but we are always up for a challenge. We started the school year with just a few students and the program grew throughout the year. When our after-school students were joined by our vacation campers, we had a full house. We were now providing programs for the community at the Potocki Center year-round.
Since 2009, all of our programs have had steady growth and we have been back to City Council numerous times looking to extend our lease. Each city proposal has presented new challenges, but each time Outta Bounds has been supported by the community and persevered. As we looked to renew our lease beyond 2017, we found that the City had other plans for the Potocki Center.
In March of 2017, the City of Mission Viejo made the decision not to renew our lease at Potocki. The Cultural Arts Master Plan was passed and the location was to become a Cultural Arts Center. We proposed a Shared Solution at the location, but Cultural Arts Committee and the Director of Library and Cultural Services rejected our plan to share the facility. The kids and parents did another amazing job showing support, but only Councilor Raths supported us staying at the Center.
With an uncertain future and no plan for fall, we completed our School-year Program and prepared for Summer Camp. All of our efforts were focused on sharing Potocki, and we had limited time and resources to find a new home. As in the beginning, it was another member of the City Staff that gave us hope. We were introduced to the leadership of SVUSD Community Services, and found the kind of team that brought us the the City of Mission Viejo on 2009. They were people who put kids first, and were looking for the kind of programs we create for our students. We consulted our Board, drafted a proposal, and it was passed by the SVUSD Board.
Things are moved quickly, and we now have a new place for students to call their “home away from home”. This move has been a huge challenge, but it’s not the first time that we’ve reinvented our programming for a new group of families. It breaks our hearts that our Newhart families will be facing changes, and we did everything in our power continue to serve that population. If we are ever given the opportunity to return to that school, we will be there. Our hope is to one day bring our programming to each middle and intermediate school campus of the community. Time will tell if this move is a step towards that goal.