(WXYZ) — The Boys & Girls Club of Southeastern Michigan announced Wednesday it is expanding in Pontiac with the Pontiac Youth Recreation and Enrichment Center, which will give kids free club memberships.
“Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeastern Michigan is excited to once again serve the amazing youth and families of Pontiac! We can’t thank Mayor Deirdre Waterman and the people of Pontiac for inviting us to join them in their efforts to revitalize the City. Now more than ever, youth need a safe place to go which provide them with the activities and resources needed to become successful adults,” said Shawn H. Wilson, president & CEO Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeastern Michigan. “We’re honored to be a part of the successful PYREC center’s growth model and look forward to contributing our whole family economic mobility focus.”
The organization will bring its programs to people between the ages of 4-21 to the Pontiac Youth Enrichment Center.
“I am happy to welcome BGCSM back to Pontiac after their hiatus. So many of our citizens remember the days when Boys & Girls Clubs played an active role in the community,” said Mayor Deirdre Waterman, City of Pontiac. “Two years ago, our citizen passed the millage to open the youth center here in Pontiac which was a testament to how important it was to provide access to health and wellness activities as well as growth and enrichment programs to our youth. We’re proud to have BGCSM as a strategic partner and to have a Club location back in our city again.”
More than $350,000 was donated to support the programs, with funders including the United Way of Southeastern Michigan, Williams International Education Fund and Pontiac entrepreneur Ed Bahoura.
“While we work with hundreds of organizations across the region, I am encouraged we are able to provide support for programs that have an immediate and long-lasting impact in the community," said Tonya Adair, Chief Impact Officer, United Way for Southeastern Michigan. "Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeastern Michigan and City of Pontiac are proactively providing much-needed support for young people, as so many are concerned about the ongoing economic and cultural impact of the pandemic."
The club will reopen its doors on Sept. 8, 2020, and will offer a full day of virtual and on-site activities.
