WEATHER
Parents of school age children will soon have another outlet to send their children when a Boys & Girls Club community center opens in Gig Harbor.
The center, scheduled to break ground on May 29, will provide opportunities for education, recreation and socialization during the hours between the time school lets out and when parents return home from work.
“It will benefit the entire community,” said Jinnie Hanson, director of marketing and communications for the Boys & Girls Club of South Puget Sound.
“We will have a designated space especially for kids, and a teen center,” she said. “We’re covering all the bases, not just athletics. We will have arts, health and fitness. There will be a ‘power hour’ — for an hour each day — where the kids can work on their homework with staff and volunteers who will work with them.”
Hanson said the center, named the Jim and Carolyn Milgard Family HOPE Center in honor of a major donor, will be available for adult use, too.
“There will be a dedicated space for a senior center,” she said. “Anyone can use the multipurpose rooms, the computer lab and the gymnasium.”
The center will feature a “BOTTLAB” computer lab, (Building Opportunities Through Technology) where children and adults will be able to have computer access.
“It’s awesome the things they do through that,” Hanson said. “Through a partnership with Microsoft, the kids get exposure working on computers. They can get experience with different media, like creating their own Web sites.”
Hanson said the organization is working with the Peninsula School District to possibly provide student transportation from area schools to the center.
“We have partnerships with other school districts that have buses to the club after school,” she said. “A lot of people in Gig Harbor commute, and it’s late by the time they get home. Parents won’t have to worry about their kids having to walk to the center. We can make sure their kids get from point A point to B. Then the parents can pick them up when they get back from work.”
Another component of the future center will be its location. The center will be located close to Gig Harbor High School, Henderson Bay High School and Discovery Elementary School.
Judy Hosea, vice president of development, and Rick Guild, president and CEO for the Boys & Girls Club of South Puget Sound, said past snags regarding traffic issues have been smoothed out.
“We faced some traffic issues regarding roundabouts and some intersections, but we are moving ahead,” Guild said. “We’ve taken care of what we’re supposed to take care of. The city has been incredibly responsive and helpful.”
Hosea said excitement over the new center is starting to build.
“This is new to Gig harbor,” she said. “The center just topped $10 million (in fund-raising), and we are on our way to $14.8 million
“We’re excited about our partnerships. We have an active group out there that has been working behind the scenes but will go community-wide following the ground breaking.”
The center has partnered with the Franciscan Health Services, which will be running the senior services, and the Peninsula Athletic Association.
Guild said area schools have expressed an interest in using the facilities while school is in session, especially Henderson High School, which does not have its own gymnasium.
“There’s a large population of home-schooled children in this area,” Hosea said. “The facilities will be available to them, also.”
The center will offer a dedicated space for licensed school-age childcare and is actively looking for tenants who can provide youth and family services.
“It’s partnerships that enable each agency to do a better job at what they do best,” Hosea said. “Now that Gig Harbor has reached a critical mass, we can have a Boys & Girls club that can provide services to youth and families.”
Print
E-Mail