BACKGROUND: In the 10 years since the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southwest Virginia (BGCSWVA) first began serving the youth of our community, our organization has seen unprecedented growth, from a single on-site school location serving 350 into a regional force with over a dozen service sites in the New River Valley and Roanoke. Currently BGCSWVA serves nearly 750 children daily in schools across the region, with continued growth as certain as the continued need for our services.
PROBLEM: The young children who made up our initial membership are now entering middle school and their teenage years, a time when they are most susceptible to the negative influences of drugs, gangs and premarital sex; in short, the time when they are most in need of our help. Knowing that today's young people are tomorrow's leaders, staff of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southwest Virginia are stepping up efforts to recruit and retain more Roanoke area teenagers. One of the greatest obstacles to serving this demographic came from the growing pains of the region's only free-standing Boys & Girls Club - the9th Street location in Southeast Roanoke. Outdated and over-crowded, our facilities had little chance of competing for the attentions of youths faced with increasingly difficult decisions on how to spend their after-school hours.
SOLUTION: Realizing the great need in our area, we announced a campaign to renovate and expand the Boys & Girls Clubs 9thStreet location. The new Teen Center – "The Club” - provides exclusive space for 13 to 18-year-olds. To best serve the needs of adolescents, the center has dedicated staff; teen-oriented programming, with an emphasis on career exploration, job preparation and job placement; extended hours and a unique identity. The goal of this campaign was to produce healthy, productive and well-adjusted young adults who resist the negative influences and pressures that surround them. Construction renovated 2400 s.f. in our existing facility and expanded the space an additional 2000 s.f. The renovation and expansion enhanced current space and provided us with the resources to conduct teen programming for up to 100 additional teens every day.
SUPPORT: Doris Buffet, Founder of the Sunshine Lady Foundation, made our dream come true with a gift of $500,000 to renovate our 9th Street Boys & Girls Clubs. Ms. Buffet challenged our Board of Trustees to engage the community to raise the additional $500,000 needed to make our Teen Center a reality. The community fulfilled our need and reinforced their belief in our mission "to enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring and responsible citizens.”
We are eternally grateful!