Chastising whoever destroyed property at the Boys & Girls Club over the weekend seems somewhat pointless: anyone stupid enough to perpetrate the vandalism isn’t going to listen to reason.

But it is worth praising the club directors, club members and the community volunteers who have come together to help clean up the club and, perhaps, find who committed the crime. The club remained closed Wednesday as club directors tried to assess the damage, but volunteers and children have been calling to ask what they can do.

From the beginning, the Boys & Girls Club has been a model of community spirit.

After many years of hoping to establish a branch of the national organization here, a group of community leaders were able to make a that dream a reality.

The Thompson School alumni, which owns part of the old school, rents space to the club for a mere $1 per month.

Community groups have donated equipment and time to this valuable organization.

And the club just received a technology grant to help boost its computer lab.

To have much of that hard work trashed by vandals is incredibly frustrating and disheartening.

But perhaps from this experience the children who use the club &045; and the adults who volunteer there &045; can learn something about our community, that despite the best efforts of a few spoilers, we can all make a difference for the better.