Working with more than 200 kids a day must put a lot of stress on Recreation Director Luis Reyes. But not according to Reyes. The man of many talents enjoys his job tremendously, and looks forward to working with children every day. "I love working with the kids," said Reyes. "I have a philosophy: If we don’t win the kids as a whole, the streets will win them. We need to keep good things on the kids’ minds, and be positive role models in our homes and workplaces." Reyes has been the Director of Recreation at the Artesia Center for the past 10 years. He also plays the role as "Flaco the Clown." As Flaco, Reyes visits the Artesia Good Samaritan Center on a regular basis to cheer the senior citizens up. He also makes random appearances at church programs and school activities. As Director of Recreation, he oversees various city programs, such as the soccer and baseball leagues, weight lifting, basketball, and many others. He has three children , Veronica, Debbie, and Luis, Jr. He is married to Carmen, who at times, puts up with a lot of his flack. "My wife is my guinea pig for my ‘Gospel Wonders’ act," stated Reyes. "I don’t know where I would be without her today." He also has one granddaughter, Mia. Reyes is one of the many Artesia citizens who are pushing for a new skate park. "It gives the kids something to do," he said. He is joined by Jimmy Lara and Judy Stewart, two board members who are also pushing to get the park built. Reyes encourages all kids to come and join the Artesia recreation program this summer. It gets kicked off on June 11 at the Artesia Center at 8:30 a.m., and will last to 11:45 a.m. Activities such as field trips, games, arts and crafts, water games, story telling, gym activities, movies, outdoor activities, tournaments, role playing/drama, and much, much more will be going on. Also, Reyes has a great staff of young, energetic employees ready to interact with the kids on a day-to-day basis. Reyes is a great person to know and works really well with children. "No matter where you go, kids are always reachable," he says. "We just have to hold out a hand and let them know that we are there for them." With this philosophy, its no wonder all the children look up to Reyes, or "Flaco the Clown."