A rendering of the new East End Teen Center (Image courtesy Boys & Girls Club of Metro Richmond)
For 65 years, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Richmond (BGCMR) have been dedicated to improving the welfare of children and teens in the city. In 2019, the organization broke ground on the $5 million dollar Teen Center in the former Eastlawn Shopping Center in the East End. The Center opened this summer for BGCMR’s pilot summer program and started back-to-school programs last month. It secured a $200,000 grant from the William R. Kenan Jr. Charitable Trust to support its first year of operations.
“Our current club facilities were designed to provide out-of-school-time experiences, primarily for elementary-aged boys and girls,” says Sean Miller, chief operating officer of BGCMR. “Metro Richmond’s middle, high school and young adults have long needed their own larger spaces that meet their developmental needs.”
Sean Miller, BGCMR chief operating officer, works in the new East End Teen Center. (Photo by Jay Paul)
The Teen Center will provide them with a place to spend their free time, explore careers and post-secondary education, and develop skills such as resume writing and computer coding. Amenities include internet access, an auditorium, a theater, a community cafe and a digital arts/sound studio. There are also designated sensory/mindfulness spaces for teens in search of peace and quiet. Some club members may not otherwise have access to Wi-Fi or a chaos-free environment for schoolwork.
“We feel a renewed sense of urgency, with the ongoing effects of the pandemic, persisting local racial inequities and pervasive barriers to social progress, to expand teen programming and to fill the gap in career, college and life-readiness opportunities for young adults,” Miller says.
The William R. Kenan Jr. Charitable Trust was established in 1966. Its general aims are to address American education, socioeconomic challenges and cyclical poverty.
“We share Mr. Kenan’s belief that education is a cherished gift and a fundamental component to a successful life,” says BCGMR President and CEO Todd McFarlane. “Thanks to the generosity of the trust, BGCMR will expand our teen and alumni programs this year, offering metro Richmond youth access to new opportunities for exploration, learning and life readiness.”
