Boys & Girls Club announces major expansion, fundraising campaign
By Brandi Makuski
PLOVER — The Boys & Girls Club of Portage County is launching the public phase of a $6 million fundraising campaign to build a major addition onto its Schierl Center, a project officials say is needed to keep up with growing demand for teen programs.
The roughly 15,000-square-foot expansion on the 240o block of Cedar Drive would more than double the number of teens the club serves each year, increasing from about 250 to more than 500. It would also increase the Schierl Center’s daily capacity from 170 to 340 youth and teens.
The organization announced it has already secured $4 million from early leadership supporters. To help complete the campaign, longtime philanthropic partners John and Patty Noel have established a $1 million matching challenge that will double every community donation made through Oct. 30.
“For six years we’ve been asking ourselves how we can better serve the growing number of teens who need us,” Boys & Girls Club of Portage County CEO Danielle Belsky said in an email statement on Tuesday. “We’ve explored possibilities because we wanted to make the right decision—and we believe this is the best opportunity for our youth.”
The current Teen Center on Michigan Avenue is full, but demand continues to grow, she added.
“We know our community can’t afford to wait any longer.”
Belsky said the expansion will give more young people a place to build relationships, discover their strengths and prepare for the future.
The addition will create dedicated space for mentoring, workforce development, counseling, leadership programming, career exploration, academic support and life-skills education.
The project also will expand programming for elementary-age children by adding more activity space, along with a new kitchen and cafeteria that will allow the club to serve more meals as enrollment continues to grow.
Club officials said they have spent the past six years evaluating how best to expand teen services, studying enrollment trends and gathering feedback from families, schools and community partners. During that time, they concluded that demand for teen programming has outgrown the available space at the Schierl Center.
The expansion builds on the success of the Boys & Girls Club’s Teen Center at the Berard Center in Stevens Point. According to the organization, adding a second Teen Center in Plover will make it easier for more teens across Portage County to stay involved with the club while providing additional access to mentoring, academic support, leadership opportunities and workforce development.
The Boys & Girls Club of Portage County has served local families for more than 20 years and now operates nine locations in Stevens Point, Plover, Junction City, Rosholt and Almond-Bancroft, serving more than 2,000 youth annually.
More information about the capital campaign is available at www.bgclubpc.org.