STOCKTON, Calif. — The nostalgic sounds of beeps and buzzes coming from decades-old arcade machines greet ears as people walk down the stairs to an arcade inside downtown Stockton's Courthouse Plaza.
The electronic sound effects are music to the ears of Tony Yadon, the Executive Director of Parents by Choice, a nonprofit dedicated to helping youth in and aging out of the foster care system.
"Let's be honest, this has a lot to do with a walk down memory lane for me," admitted Yadon. "The adults that are down here, we've spent our allowances you know, we spent our weekends at places like this."
But it's not just the sentimental beeping sounds from Pac-Man that makes the Underground Arcade special for Yadon.
The arcade, originally opened by and used exclusively for private events for Parents by Choice in October, offers an advance for some in the game of life through employment.
"It's not necessarily youth from our program. It may be someone that is referred to us that maybe they were in a completely different foster care or transitional living program, but their background is the same," Yadon said. "Those are the ones that we really want to target as employees so that we give them an opportunity should they want to do that."
Much like Parents by Choice's Plaza Perks Coffee Shop, those working at the arcade -- when open for public events and private parties -- are youth aging out of the foster care system.
"Whether it's in our arcade or our coffee shop or our gift shop, when someone has a job that understands a little bit of the road that they've walked and can respond to them with compassion and with gentleness, I think is really gratifying," Yadon said. "It's gratifying to see our staff who are, you know, social workers and clinicians really engage with those youth and support them and mentor."
In late June, the arcade opened for public use by hosting free events and offering a new venue for birthday parties and private functions.
"Most recently, we began marketing it as a place where parents could host a birthday party, someone could have any event," Yadon said. "So that's a way that we can give job opportunities for our older youth that we serve."
It was not surprising to Yadon that people would enjoy hearing about the 1980s to 1990s themed arcade, described as a "trip down memory lane," but the reaction to one of the arcade's Facebook posts advertising the venue for the first time in late June was overwhelming.
"In the first three days of doing that, over 40,000 people viewed that post," Yadon said. "I wasn't expecting that kind of a response, but when you think about it, it's an indication of how much people are looking for positive things and what kind of a need there is for something like this in our community."
Social media aside, Yadon says the reaction from those at the arcade brings new life to the nearly 40-year-old machines and makes opening it up to the public worthwhile.
"Someone was telling me a story of a conversation they were having with a dad who was having supervised contact with his child," Yadon said. "It was his daughter and he said, 'I was having a really hard time engaging with her and I felt like, you know, we're just sitting in a cubicle and it was difficult to be a father and a daughter in a cubicle.'"
According to Yadon, the two walked down the stairs of the Courthouse Plaza and entered the Underground Arcade.
"He says it's changed everything," Yadon said. "That's really why we do all of this: So that families can connect and can do it in a way where it's safe, it's positive."
During public events, such as the upcoming Main Street Market in August, kids and adults alike can use the arcade machines for free. The arcade, its party room, and "Nerf Zone" are also available for private events starting at $150 per hour.
"People can see the kind of value you're placing in them," Yadon said. "That's the way we want our visitors to our space to think as well."
The arcade is only accessible during private and public events, but Yadon says his nonprofit hasn't ruled out opening it up on a daily basis in the future as funding allows.
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