‘Excited to come back’
Eugene Boys & Girls Club reopens with building improvements
After four months of closure, the Boys & Girls Club of Emerald Valley held its grand reopening Wednesday after going through some building improvements and changes.
The Coleman Clubhouse, located at 1545 W 22nd Ave., celebrates its 25th year of operation this year. Owned by the City of Eugene and leased to the Boys & Girls Club of Emerald Valley starting in 1999, the building had not had major upgrades since it opened. After so many years of service, the clubhouse’s heating, ventilation and air conditioning system were in dire need of an upgrade. The summers in particular had been uncomfortable for kids and staff alike.
“It got to a point of safety concerns where we’re serving 125 kids per day in this building. It got too warm. And so thankfully the city heard our call and our cries for help saying we have to do something about this,” said Shelly Williams, executive director of BGCEV.
Williams said the City of Eugene put over $1 million toward the project, partnering with local HVAC business Hydrotech to upgrade the system.
What’s new at the Boys & Girls Club?
BGCEV had to cease all operations in the Coleman Clubhouse while the system was getting upgraded, starting in January. Although BGCEV has another after-school clubhouse location at Prairie Mountain School and a partnership at River Road/El Camino del Río Elementary, the organization needed greater capacity.
Williams reached out to Faith Center, a local church that could accommodate all staff and 130 students. Williams said she worked at Faith Center for a decade in the past and was grateful to use the church’s children’s facility, located near
Cesar E. Chavez Elementary.
“Our kids really enjoyed the space, but they have been missing home,” Williams said. “They’re excited to come back.”
The Coleman Clubhouse will resume activities as usual starting Monday.
Williams said the new HVAC system was much-needed, but students might not be quite as impressed by air conditioning in April. While the building was closed, BGCEV teamed up with longtime collaborator the Rotary Club of Eugene on two grants, totaling another $14,000, which went toward smaller upgrades and gadgets.
“Whenever we have an opportunity to lift up an organization like this, we need to do it,” said Jerry Harris, Rotary Club of Eugene president. “To have an organization in town, that empowers our children, that engages our children, that educates our children, that feeds our children, and that gives them a safe place to come to, we need to support that.”
Students returning to the clubhouse will see the fresh paint, new furniture and a mural in the game room, featuring some of the students’ favorite video game characters.
“There’s new touches in every room, so when the kids come back next Monday, it’ll be a big wow factor,” Williams said.
The clubhouse also has a new bumper pool table, a new art display case for students to show off their work and a new large projector screen in the learning center. BGCEV also installed two adjustable TVs, which students can use to game on with new Nintendo switches. Williams said she’s excited to offer video games and esports activities. Soon, they will be able to participate in the regional esports tournaments between other Boys & Girls Clubs across the state.
Williams also said they ordered 30 new laptops and storage carts, a big improvement on the two dozen they had, half of which didn’t work. These will be used daily in the digital literacy programs and typing clubs. The laptops were funded by the Motiv8 Foundation.
Bursting with opportunity
Year-round, the clubhouse offers a variety of after-school and summer programs. Each day after school, students get to choose what they want to participate in. Students can choose the art room, which offers all different types of crafts, sewing, dance and other projects. There’s the learning center, which has a quiet reading area and structured lessons. The gym is always bursting with activity and team sports.
The games room has all sorts of board games and is home to the new video game consoles and pool table.
There’s also a teen room, which is covered in college pennants and colorful art.
With all the excitement of the reopening, Williams said she’s hoping to draw in more teens into the program.
“We want to bring our teens back,” Williams said. “The proximity of this building to Arts and Technology Academy and Churchill (High School), really lends itself to be able to bring sixth through 12th graders into the space.”
Williams said BGCEV often waives fees for teens who want to join the club and encouraged older students to check out what the club is all about. There’s an abundance of teen-centered projects, 3D printers to use and walking trips to 7-Eleven.
Programs such as the Torch Club encourage teens to join BGC to volunteer, work with kids and become leaders in their communities.
“We’re offering some really cool unique things that you might not be getting at school or find anywhere else,” Williams said. “It’s so important that they’re here, they’re safe, they belong.”