In Allston, COM students bring joy and jump ropes

Thanks to some Boston University students, 10-year-old Terri Smith said she was excited to have new jump ropes for her and her friends to play with at the West End House Boys and Girls Club in Allston.

"We didn't have a lot," she said. "We didn't have that many jump ropes. Some people fighted over jump ropes."

Nearly 100 children poured into their new playroom, trying out new jump ropes, balls and board games Monday afternoon as a semicircle of BU students and Best Buy volunteers stood clapping to welcome the children into their remodeled recreation room.

A BU Community Relations class has spent the past semester cleaning, redecorating and raising $2,500 in contributions for house. The Best Buy in Landmark Center donated $1,000, and 10 Best Buy employees volunteered at West End House on Monday.

Nicole Falvey, a College of Communication senior, said she was one of 17 students to help the children feel at home in their new playroom. Her community relations class helped make hand-shaped membership cards to hang on the walls, each featuring a child's name and his favorite thing about the West End House.

BU students also fixed broken foosball tables, taped down new lines for four square and cleaned up an outdoor barbecue, Falvey said.

COM Community Relations professor Jo O'Connor said she has given class projects based on helping charity organizations in Boston for the past four years.

"You can just tell at the end everybody feels good about it," O'Connor said. "I always get teary eyed, and today is no exception. I love that part of the lesson that feels good."

O'Connor said her students selected three worthy charities and voted on one for their class project.

"I'm thrilled they chose something in BU's backyard," she said.

West End House program director Jenny Nute said a lot of volunteer groups aid her organization, but not at the same level as the COM class did.

"We were really excited," she said. "The game room serves hundreds of kids every day."

West End House gives 220 children ages 7 to 18 a place to exercise, learn, play and relax after school, she said. About 75 percent of the children's families earn less than $25,000 per year, and they pay $15 per year for their children to attend all programs and eat a snack and dinner every day. Children can attend for free if their families cannot pay the fee, Nute said.

"We never turn away any family," she said.

To restore West End House's recreation room, the BU class divided into three teams: operations, strategic and executive, marketing and public relations. The executive and marketing teams worked together to get donations for West End House from Boston companies, COM senior Amanda Sabatelle said.

"We definitely want to do something like this again," Best Buy manager Val Donovan said as she served lunch.

COM senior Tarryn Prosper said the renovations were more important than just giving children new toys.

"Every child has a right to have fun after school and play," Prosper said. "Friendships are forged here. I'm glad we got to be a part of that . . . A lot of kids won't remember what they did in half their classes bur will remember this for a long time."