Elgin Boys & Girls Club celebrating its new home
You've probably seen the climax on television's Extreme Makeover Home Edition where a family sees its awesome new abode.
That scene likely repeated itself for hundreds of kids and dozens of staffers at the Boys & Girls Club of Elgin.
The new 15,000-square-foot Education and Enrichment Center on the city's east side opened this week.
The building is more than seven times as large as the group's cramped 2,000-square-foot former house.
Officials will hold an open house Saturday to celebrate what had been discussed for a decade.
"We have always talked about it being a dream come true and it really is," said Rose Reinert-Allen, executive director. "This facility has been a dream for many people and to see it open is emotional."
The new facility has a gym, learning center, teen center and multipurpose room. The old house had none of these.
"The biggest area where we're looking to expand is teens," said Reinert-Allen. "There wasn't much to offer them in a little house."
The new building's computer lab, arts and crafts room and game room also are larger than in the old location.
The facility means more programs can be offered to more kids. When the club came to Elgin in 1995, it had 100 members. Now it has about 700.
Reinert-Allen said the project would have had a price tag of about $2.4 million, but didn't cost nearly that much because local companies made numerous in-kind donations, sold materials at cost or performed work at a reduced price.
They began fundraising in spring 2006 and quickly exceeded their $3 million goal by the end of 2007.
Construction began in June 2007 and took about a year.
The club moved operations to a nearby church and two schools in the interim.
But the kids saw the building rising from the earth when a bus drove them by each day, said Keavy Dixson, area director.
"It's new and exciting for the kids. The anticipation was there for it," she said.
During a tour Thursday afternoon, elementary-school-age kids played dodge ball in the gym, sharpened their skills on two pool tables and went head to head on a Nintendo Wii.
The network of 22 computers, an increase of six over the old building, still has to be wired up.
Lynne Bosley, president of the United Way of Elgin, has yet to see the finished product, but could easily recall the old building that at times left people feeling claustrophobic.
Bosley said the United Way doubled its funding to $60,000 this year for the Boys & Girls Club in recognition of the larger facility and demonstrated success.
"In terms of keeping kids in school and increasing academic performance, they're right on the money," she said. "They've always done an outstanding job with incredibly limited resources. This is a fabulous opportunity for the community and all the kids in the whole Elgin area."
If you go
What: A grand opening for the Boys & Girls Club of Elgin's Education and Enrichment Center
When: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday
Where: 355 Dundee Ave., Elgin
How: Officials will dedicate a flagpole, unveil a neighborhood entrance sculpture and give tours of the facility
Who: For details, call (847) 608-5017