(Photo provided)
(Photo provided)
In Valparaiso, Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Northwest Indiana celebrated a ribbon cutting for the new Valpo Boys and Girls Club Wednesday after raising capital funds for the project for nearly three years. The new facility on Evans Avenue across from Fairgrounds Park opened in early June. A news release says the campaign came in response to renovation estimates for the old club at the Gardner School Building on Jefferson Street, which they say would have been so expensive it made more sense to move on to a new, modern building large enough to host an even greater number of members. The old grade school building where the club was located since 1971 was built in 1899.
“The Valparaiso Club is a state-of-the-art place for kids to be kids today and into the future,” said President and CEO Ryan Smiley. “Thanks to the generosity of so many people in our community, we were able to construct this 36,000 square foot state-of-the-art facility that has everything for every kid. The excitement on their faces when they walk in here has been remarkable.”
Also at the event was Boys and Girls Clubs of America’s Director of Organizational Development Jeff Amy. “The Boys & Girls Clubs keeps kids safe, but it also takes the burden off so many of our parents that are working so hard to provide for their families,” said Amy. “Having a place, like a Boys & Girls Club, makes all the difference in the world.”
The new club offers members a rock wall, digital music recording studio, STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) lab, art room, dedicated teen and tween space with its own entrance, teaching kitchens, and two full-sized gymnasiums. Online sign-ups are available, but Smiley strongly encourages families to come and see the facility in person.“It’s not a place where kids have to go after school or in the summer–it’s a place where kids want to go,” said Smiley.
