Boys & Girls Clubs Expands To New Neighborhood
DENVER (CBS4) Demand is high for services like the ones provided at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Metro Denver. There are waiting lists to get into existing clubs and underserved neighborhoods. Boys and Girls Club officials are addressing some of that need by building a new club.
"We are very excited about it. We're going to be serving another 2,000 children that don't have access to Boys and Girls Club services," said John Arigoni, president of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Metro Denver.
Construction on the new facility is underway with a completion day of summer 2013. The project is a collaboration between the Boys and Girls Clubs of Metro Denver and the existing facilities in the area, the library, the Hiawatha Davis Recreation Center, and the Hope Center.
"Well for over 20 years we've been wanting to come over into the northeast Park Hill area," Arigoni said.
The Boys and Girls Club is moving into a space that used to be a shopping center. The shopping center was burned down about 4 years ago by gang members. It was a blow to the community and left a scar on the land.
"So really what you see here is like the phoenix rising up out of the ashes and everyone is really happy," Arigoni told CBS4.
The new club is going to give thousands of kids an opportunity to access programming that will help them do better in school, help them learn to live healthier lifestyles, and also grow up to be men and women of good character.
--Written for the Web by CBS4 Special Projects Producer Libby Smith
