Breaking ground for the future
Construction underway for Gig Harbor’s Boys & Girls Club
Susan Schell
of the Gateway
Published: 07:00PM June 6th, 2008
The symbolic turning of the soil last Thursday, just off
Skansie Avenue, marked the ground breaking of Gig Harbor’s Boys & Girls Club,
the Jim and Carolyn Milgard Family HOPE Center. The Milgards were there, along
with state and county officials, the Kopachuck Middle School jazz band, the Gig
Harbor High School jazz choir and the Peninsula High School cheerleading squad.
Once complete, the Peninsula cheerleaders will practice at the new facility,
something the team is looking forward to.
“It will be nice to have a place to practice where we don’t get kicked out,”
cheerleader Whitney Young said.
“There are few places to hang out on Friday and Saturday night,” Jenny Patterson
added. “This will give us something productive to do.”
One by one, guest speakers addressed the crowd about how much the community will
benefit from the new facility.
Brad
Cheney, Master of Ceremonies and campaign chairman for the Boys & Girls Club of
Puget Sound said that, when he was approached to act as chairman four years ago,
he jumped at the chance to be involved with an organization dedicated to serving
kids that offered not only sports programs but a computer lab and access to
arts.
“I finally found an organization that cared about kids,” he said. “This will
house an organization with the sole purpose of helping youth and families. Kids
can grow and learn to respect and be treated with respect, and this gives
seniors a place to call home.”
John Seals, Boys & Girls Clubs 2008 Youth of the Year, credited the organization
with helping him look toward the future instead of dwelling on an unhappy past.
The club became a family for Seals when he was dealing with tough times in his
life.
“At the club, I learned the difference between right and wrong,” he said. “The
club taught me to do my best, no matter who takes the prize.”
Seals said the club offered hope to kids whose lives might be a nightmare.
“This is a gift from the club I will always carry with me,” he said.
The Milgards, Gig Harbor committee co-chairs, made a brief but emotional
appearance.
“I’ve lived in the fabulous community of Gig Harbor for 40-plus years,” Carolyn
Milgard said. “It is my dream and hope that this Boys & Girls Club will leave an
indelible mark on the community.”
Gig Harbor City Council member Derek Young said the clubs where he grew up had a
huge impact on the lives of young people.
“Back east, the boys and girls clubs are the center of everything,” he said.
“It’s one place where you have adults to talk to outside of your parents.”
State Sen. Derek Kilmer, D-Gig Harbor, said the club would offer a safe
environment where children can interact and play.
“We don’t stop playing because we grow old,” he said. “We grow old because we
stop playing.”
Kilmer said it’s important to instill pride and confidence at a young age.
“Children are one-third of our population and 100 percent of our future,” he
said. “We give kids so many things to say ‘no’ to. It is important to give kids
things to say ‘yes’ to.”
Rick Guild, president and CEO of the Boys & Girls Club of Puget Sound, said the
wave of the future for the clubs is to not only provide a place for youth but to
also house senior centers, businesses and guidance centers that will have
something for everyone in the community.
“Families are just as important to the health and welfare of children,” he said.
The facility will be located next to Henderson Bay Alternative High School on
Skansie Avenue in Gig Harbor.
Reach reporter Susan Schell at 253-853-9240 or by e-mail at susan.schell@gateline.com.
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