Morales, who volunteers his time counseling high school students, and Schwabe, who used to help out in her younger sister's class, decided something needed to be done.

"The kids said they had nothing else to do after school, so we decided we'd try to give them something good to do," Morales said.

Morales and Schwabe--both 19-year-old students at West Valley College--decided they wanted to provide free after-school activities to children in the Ponderosa Park area of southeast Sunnyvale.

They addressed the community at the May 10 Sunnyvale City Council meeting and are now meeting with city staff to outline what they hope to do, either independent of the city or as part of one if its existing programs.

Morales said the pair planned to operate independent of the city for the most part, running their own programs with the assistance of the city through funding or building use.

Community work is not new to the pair. Morales is the president of the Puente Connection Club at West Valley and the secretary of the Inter-Club Council. He's also involved at his alma mater, Fremont High School, counseling students and helping them get into universities.

"I grew up around gangs and trouble, and almost got sent off course, so I want other kids to have the chance to make it like I did," Morales said.

Schwabe said she spent time helping in her younger sister's classes, so she has experience working with schoolchildren. She said she and Morales hope to make their program a combination of sports, arts and sciences to give youngsters a variety of options.

"We knew if we said 'science,' kids wouldn't come to it, so we're going to do things like teach them how to build and use model rockets or make slime, things they'll like," Morales said.

The two friends have enlisted the help of the West Valley College clubs and say many have pledged to help. Morales said they had also gotten letters from excited parents since speaking at the council meeting.

"The community seems willing to help us, we just need to get the word out," Morales said. "No one we've talked to has been opposed to what we want to do."

Interim Sunnyvale Parks and Recreation Director Curtis Black said his office met with Schwabe and Morales on May 20 to discuss possible collaborations.

"They've certainly showed their eagerness to help kids, and we certainly support that," Black said. "I think we'll be able to connect them with some good programs here in Sunnyvale."

Programs similar to what Schwabe and Morales are proposing are already running in Sunnyvale. Columbia Middle School has an after-school boxing program for at-risk students, which attracts a number of Columbia Middle School and Fremont High School students.

Black said it might be easier for the pair to work within an existing program.

Morales said they're hoping to completely fund a new program out of their own pockets or with donated funds. They want to make the program accessible to children of all income levels.

Black said the issue of funding might be a difficult hurdle to overcome, something that he said could be taken care of if they joined an existing program.

"We could always use more hands and more help in meeting the needs of Sunnyvale youth," Black said. "But if their plan is to stay independent, it may take them more time because they may need to become a nonprofit and seek some funding."

For more information on the proposed program, call Cesar Morales at 408.203.6166 or Amanda Schwabe at 510.386.3213.