While a new facility for the Boys & Girls Club of the Muskegon Lakeshore is currently under construction, officials said Monday the new building will double the number of Lakeshore youths it can help on-a-daily-basis.
According to the Boys and Girls Club of the Muskegon Lakeshore, $9 million will go towards gutting and renovating the former YMCA building along Muskegon Lake and transforming it into the non-profit’s new clubhouse.
Monica Turnbull is Boys and Girls Club of the Muskegon Lakeshore’s CEO. She says, the new facility will provide underserved area youth a place to work-out, swim, and learn; but more importantly, will offer boys and girls a place to go to feel valued and supported.
“Oh my gosh it is so needed,” Turbull said. So, we work with 300 area youths per day, and we can serve, once we build our new clubhouse another 300, so 600 youths per day,” she said.
Officials say, “renovations of the 45-year-old building will undergo a transformation from the inside and out, including an update of the HVAC system and adding a geothermal energy source. The project will also include multiple universal changing rooms with lockers and showers, fitness studios, a state-of-the-art STEM lab, outdoor recreation areas, youth fishing pier and a commercial kitchen.
It is expected to be completed by fall.
As part of the fundraising effort, the Boys and Girls Club in Muskegon is hosting a “Great Futures Gala” on May 20th at 6 PM. For more information, go to bgclubmuskegon.com
