On Wednesday, Feb. 24, the Boys & Girls Club of the Muskegon Lakeshore’s (BGCML) Board of Directors unanimously voted to approve the purchase of 900 W. Western Ave in Muskegon, MI.
This location was most recently Muskegon Community College’s Lakeshore Fitness Center and will soon be the new home of BGCML’s youth and teen Clubhouse.
BGCML first opened their doors in 2015 serving 30 youth in the basement of Nelson Elementary School. Currently, BGCML has seven school-based Club sites and three summer park sites serving 1,700 youth annually, but unlike many other communities, the organization does not currently have its own Clubhouse. The new Clubhouse will give BGCML a permanent home, which will help support its school and park based sites.
This new home will allow BGCML to serve over 250 youth daily, offering evidence based programs in three core pillars; Character & Leadership, Academic Success, and Healthy Lifestyles.
The 900 W. Western Ave property will undergo renovations to create a world class youth and teen Clubhouse to serve Muskegon County.
The redevelopment of the Clubhouse will feature a new secure entrance and teen zone funded by Shape Corporation, industrial kitchen and cafeteria thanks to support from Hines Corporation, a state of the art STEM Lab inspired by Howmet Aerospace, administrative offices provided by Mike & Kay Olthoff and a world class art studio brought to fruition by Tom DeVoursney.
Many other features such as games rooms, academic study areas and lake-front outdoor recreation areas will be part of the redevelopment, thanks to the generous support from Bob & Merle Scolnik, Versatile Fabrication, The Olsen Family, John & Kathy Workman, Dr. Tony & Pamela Wilson, Mart Dock, Verplank Trucking, Webb Chemical, Kindred Marketing, Dan & Sheryl Kuznar and so many more, which can be found on the Clubhouse Campaign website.
It is the Club’s hope to begin serving youth in the building within the next 90-days, and to keep serving youth safely throughout the renovations.
The Club’s number one priority for the Clubhouse is to serve youth and teens in our community, however, BGCML welcomes the opportunity to work with Muskegon residents to explore other possibilities for the space with community partners. Crow notes that, “Keeping our mission- the kids of this community will come first. That means their safety and their experience before all other things.”
DJ Hilson, Board Chair stated, “We were presented with this opportunity that would give us the ability to provide our Muskegon County youth their own Club space on the lakeshore in a very short period of time. This has been a goal of our Club and our board since we began conversations about the Club in 2014.”
To stay up to date on all that is happening with the project and view the list of FAQ’s visit the Clubhouse webpage at bgclubmuskegon.com/clubhouse and make sure to follow Boys & Girls Club of the Muskegon Lakeshore on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Have a question? Submit it to us online at bgclubmuskegon.com/clubhouse.
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