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B&GC of Wilson Opens New Teen Fitness Center
The Boys & Girls Club of Wilson in Oklahoma recently opened a new teen center. “THE CLUB Teen Fitness Center” designed for Club members 14 years of age and older was unveiled on Friday August 5th. The event began with a parade to celebrate National KidsDay and Wilson KidsDay. A ribbon cutting and facility tours followed.
The initiative began when the local branch of the Michelin Corporation decided to donate used fitness equipment from their employee wellness center. “Karen Hodge from the Safety Department gave us a call and wanted to know if we were interested in some of the equipment – of course we were elated,” stated Tammy McArthur, Executive Director of the B&GC. Tammy and Teen Program Director, Misty Sanders had recently been working on a plan for teen outreach. They planned to open the Margie Garrett Old Gym once per week for photography, career exploration and computer lab activities. However, this program would target a select group of teens that volunteered at the Club. The two knew that there was a group of young people who were not being reached. “When Ms. Hodge called, we knew this was the answer to our prayers,” said Tammy. “This would get those kids off the streets and into our facilities. They would be getting fit and keeping healthy in a fun but controlled environment.”
With the help of community members and businesses, a two car “catch all” garage on Club property was transformed into a 24’ x 20’ fitness center. At the same time, the Club was able to restore the floor of their Kids Café building through donations by community members and the McCrory’s Foundation. Once the Fitness Center becomes established, the Club is considering offering fitness training to senior citizens during the daytime while the teens are in school.
For more information about integrating teen programming into your Club, click here (pdf file).
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