The Hopkinsville Christian County Boys and Girls Club is currently under expansion to provide more activities to children in the community and club Executive Director, Terrence Davis shared what they have planned at Tuesday’s Hopkinsville Rotary Club meeting.
At the Boys and Girls Club Great Futures Luncheon in July, Davis announced plans to expand their Teen Center with the creation of the FabLab which will feature a content creation studio, a podcast area, a video production suite, a recording studio, a screen printer, a 3D printer, a laser cutter and a collaborative work space.
In January the club broke ground on their 2,000 square foot FabLab and with the additional space, Davis says they will be able to update how the Teen Center is set up saying they plan to create an Esports arena.
Davis says they are planning for the FabLab to open by the end of summer and the facility will be instrumental in their work toward helping their members be career ready as they graduate high school. With the equipment in the FabLab, Davis says members will run their own t-shirt and 3D printing business and get paid for doing so.
Further focusing on career development and workforce readiness, Davis shares that members will also get the opportunity to intern with organizations that align with their career interests. In the summer the club will also be hosting multiple events to help their members find a career path that interests them.
Turning back toward their facility expansion plans, Davis says they are planning to establish a Tween Center for sixth graders in the club. Davis shares that the idea for the center came up after the Christian County Public School System voted to move sixth grade back to county middle schools.
Davis says they are planning to have the Tween Center opened by the end of 2024 or by early 2025.
Further down the road, Davis shared that the Walnut Street Stadium neighboring the club has been demolished and with the space they are working on plans to establish a wing to their current center for elementary school students.