BOYS & GIRLS CLUB OF SOUHEGAN VALLEY BREAKS GROUND ON EXPANSION PROJECT

4/4/2106 Milford, NH – On Wednesday March 30^th, Boys and Girls Club of Souhegan Valley members and staff eagerly dug golden shovels into the soil behind its Milford facility during a groundbreaking for the Boys & Girls Club’s expansion to include a new gym and teen center. Club members, including 2016 Youth of the Year Marrissa Allen, were joined by Executive Director Susan Taylor, Building Committee Chair John Siemienowicz, Capital Campaign Chair John Morison, Board President Michael Tule, and Community Development Finance Authority Executive Director Taylor Caswell in the groundbreaking ceremony.

The Club moved into its current facility located on Mont Vernon Street in Milford, NH, 10 years ago; adding a gym was always part of its plan. Current facility constraints inhibit membership growth and have begun to create efficiency problems for staff.  “Our challenge is how to attract a larger percentage of school age youth with needs for afterschool, school vacation, and summer programming who otherwise face an empty house and unstructured time as parents work, and also keep older members engaged so they will not quit coming, learning, and exploring their potential at a crucial development phase of life.” stated Susan Taylor, Executive Director. “Building a gym and new teen center and expanded programming designed with specific needs of youth aged 14-18 in mind will be an important step to addressing this challenge”.

The expansion is needed to both retain youth members as they transition from Middle School to High School, as well as attract more members of all ages. The new gym will provide the space needed to provide more sports and recreational activities as well as additional programming for youth of all ages.  The new Teen Center, with a separate entrance and more contained space, will offer high school aged members a place to gather for social and recreational activities, leadership development and community involvement.  The result will be a growth in services for older teens addressing a critical need with the increasing potential for drug and alcohol misuse facing young people today.

Driven by a team of community volunteers and lead by campaign chair John Morison of Hitchiner Manufacturing, the Club has successfully raised $2.2 million of its $3 million goal over the past twelve months. “We’re so thankful for the support we’ve received, but we’re counting on everyone to help us reach our goal. I’m confident our community will realize the importance of this project and make a contribution” said Capital Campaign Chair John Morison.

The Boys & Girls Club of Souhegan’s mission is to enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to be great today and reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens tomorrow. Serving an average of 180 teens and children daily, with over 850 members in calendar year 2015, the Club operates from a renovated and converted theater building on Mont Vernon Street in Milford, NH, into which it located in 2005. Services include a state-licensed early education program, before school, after school, and vacation time programs for grades 1-8, service and leadership programs for teens age 12-18, theater art programs for youth of all ages, and CAST (Community Action for Safe Teens). The expansion is scheduled for completion by November 2016.

For more information about the planned expansion, visit www.svbgc.org or contact Susan Taylor, Executive Director, at staylor@svbgc.org.