By Kaity Sample Posted December 20, 2016
The Boys and Girls Club of Winnemucca has predicted its grand opening end of February or early March, according to President Chad Peters.
The Boys and Girls Club building is currently under construction. The building will include the administration area, the gym which is a 9,000 square foot area, a cafeteria with a full-sized kitchen, a theatre area with dressing rooms, an upstairs fitness center, an indoor track, changing rooms with showers, and an education center. The building is a total of 36,000 square feet.
“The facility is huge. It has board rooms, community rooms, classrooms, art rooms, and plenty of storage. We have many different opportunities to do different things for the community. We are calling it a community hub. We hope the entire community can benefit from the building,” said Peters.
The goals of the Boys and Girls Club are to help everyone and give all 3,500 kids in the district an opportunity to utilize the services or give them a chance to join clubs.
“A kid will never be turned away at the Boys and Girls Club. We are providing a safe place for kids to come after school and on the weekends. We want to be the second education provider in our community, following the school district,” said Peters.
The Boys and Girls Club will be an open facility to all once opened. French Ford and Lowry High School students can walk over after school and other schools will provide transportation to the facility. Services will be offered from 3-7 p.m. The first hour of every day, known as ‘Power Hour’, will consist of the kids getting all of their homework done and backpack organized, so it is ready for school the next day. Staff and volunteers will be there to assist anyone who needs extra help on assignments.
“When the parent picks up their kid they will know that they have been in safe hands and should be confident and ready for school the next day,” added Peters.
After “Power Hour” has been completed they will be split into age groups and do different things such as science, legos, robotics, reading, art, drama, math, audio and video programming, 3-D printers, research papers, and sports. The club will incorporate a program called “Triple Play”.
“It is all about the body, mind, and soul. It will encourage kids to do sports, how to be and eat healthy, learn how to stretch, and work to teach them how to have better mindsets. We want all kids to understand the importance of good sportsmanship and the necessity of being a good teammate,” said Peters.
The Boys and Girls Club of Winnemucca hopes to expand its diversity and add more athletic program opportunities for the youth. They have already adopted many youth programs including basketball, wrestling, and softball.
“This next coming year we hope to start a youth volleyball, indoor soccer, and we hope to add tumbling,” said Peters.
The complex will also offer a variety of activities for adults as well.
With hopes of opening up early in 2017, keep an eye on the progress of events.
