An artist’s rendering of the exterior of the future Snohomish Boys & Girls Club teen room wing.
SNOHOMISH — With a flourishing child care program taking up more space at the Snohomish Boys and Girls Club, teens have been squeezed out of a room they use.
“Our club is dominated by kindergarten through fifth grade,” said CJ Freeman, unit director at the Snohomish Boys and Girls Club.
Club leaders aim to build a 3,200-square-foot addition with technology and entertainment for teens. Before it can be built, the club is fundraising for the last $850,000 or so which the project will need.
“We know there’s a need to get teens back into the building, but they won’t come unless it’s something cool,” said Marci Volmer, chief operating officer of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Snohomish County.
The new addition will be attached to the current building, which originally opened in 2003. It will be next to the skate park, which “is not going anywhere,” Volmer said.
The new space would have new technology, new furnishings, a DJ station, along with foosball, pool tables and a kitchenette, Volmer said.
The windows on the new addition can double as a screen where movies can be viewed either indoors or outdoors.
“Most importantly, there’s a cool place for kids to hang out,” Volmer said.
Fundraising is underway to pay for the $2.1 million addition. The Boys and Girls Club has received more than $1 million in grants from the state Department of Commerce and an additional $239,864 in donations so far, according to information provided by the Boys and Girls Club.
The Boys and Girls Club needs to raise $857,702 more to fulfill funding the addition. Leaders are looking to residents, businesses and nonprofit organizations for help.
Volmer said she wants to gather all the funding needed before starting the project.
Before the pandemic, Freeman estimated about 10 to 15 teens a day would show up. Volmer said the goal is to see between 50 and 100 teens use the future addition.
The athletic programs are well-attended by teens. Volmer said around 400 teens participate in basketball, volleyball, flag football and soccer. The club also hires a lot of teens to work with younger kids.
“We’ve pretty much bounced back on athletics,” Volmer said of participation since the COVID-19 lockdowns.
About 150 kids use the facility, Freeman said. Between child care and sports programs, 2,000 youth are registered at Snohomish’s club.
To donate on the effort
Anyone interested in making a donation for the teen room should email Marci Volmer at mvolmer@bgcsc.org
