June 15th will always be a special day in the history books of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Mid Central Coast. It was a day of celebration as many years of planning, fundraising, community engagement and building–during a global pandemic–resulted in the grand opening and ribbon cutting of the long-awaited and much-needed Tom Maas Clubhouse in Paso Robles.
Hundreds of people came to the gorgeous new Clubhouse to admire the state-of-the-art facility and to learn about what the new space will mean for local youth. “This Clubhouse is a dream many of us have had for years. Being able to double the amount of children we can serve in Paso Robles means the world to all of us involved,” shared Gene Runkle, Chair of the Building Committee and current BGSMCC Board Member. He goes on to say, “I’ve been called ‘the leader’ of this project but you can’t be a leader if there is no one to follow and the minute we decided to make this dream a reality, everyone in the community has followed.”
From the Mayor of Paso Robles, to the 3rd District County Supervisor, to staff from the State Senators office, community leaders of all types along with local families mingled together and admired what the community has to be proud of. From the commercial-grade Teaching Kitchen that will feature hands-on exposure to culinary arts, to a Crafts Center that even offers access to sewing machines, to a games room filled with everything from a pool table to air hockey, and a STEM lab that announces “I Can Learn Anything, I Can Know Anything, I Can Be Anything,” our new Clubhouse offers everything a 21st century young person needs to build a great future.
Special acknowledgement must go to Must! Charities who helped with significant financial support by galvanizing local donors and businesses to make building this Club a priority as well as to the Maas Family, especially Kathleen Maas, widow of the Clubs namesake, who also made the largest gifts to the capital campaign. Other local and regional businesses offered significant donations of labor and materials to see the building come to completion in a timely manner.
Of course, making sure a building is built is only half the journey. Keeping it well-funded so the evidence-based and award-winning programs provided by the Boys & Girls Clubs will be at the highest level possible is of the highest priority. Donations are needed to ensure that staff, supplies, and resources are always available so children have everything they need to thrive.
To make a donation to this project or to support any of our work educating and caring for youth on the Central Coast can be made here.
Photos of the ribbon cutting and grand opening are courtesy of Namu.Love Photography and can be viewed by clicking here.
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