Community leaders and other interested individuals gathered at the Granville Boys & Girls Club in Oxford Monday to witness the Construction Kickoff that will transform the Granville County club from a cavernous warehouse to a state-of-the-art facility.

Five club members, each sporting blue t-shirts with the familiar Boys & Girls Club logo, gave up their day off from school for the MLK holiday to take part in the celebration. They posed for photos with officials as they stood behind a paper banner decorated for the event. Then they got a running start and broke through the banner to officially kick off the project, to applause from the grownups assembled.

CEO Donyell “DJ” Jones told those gathered that if all goes well, the project will begin in early February and should be completed by the end of May. H.G. Reynolds is in charge of the project.

The Granville club is located in a building formerly occupied by Santa Fe Natural Tobacco. The administrative offices for the BGC North Central North Carolina also is located at the West Street facility, having moved from Vance County when the building was donated a few years back.

The construction project will create a dedicated art space, computer lab and more. Renderings by Intrepid Architects of Greenville, N.C. flanked the seats at the construction kickoff event to showcase the proposed design.

“As we look at this space,” Jones said, he described as “priceless” the time and resources that have been committed to bring the project to fruition. “This investment will have a positive impact on the community,” he said.

Among the special guests on hand Monday were Richard Moore and Julia Blaine, and Jones recognized them both for their significant contributions. Moore’s foundation provided a “transformational” investment to get the project off the ground and Blaine, along with husband Thomas and their Strong Arm Baking Co., issued a challenge in late 2021 to raise money for the project. This challenge raised awareness and added more than 200 new donors to BGC.

Jacqueline Robinson is the chief development officer for the regional organization, which has clubs across the four-county area. In her remarks Monday, Robinson talked about the history of the Boys & Girls Club, which officially celebrated 100 years in 2006.

Today, the staff of Boys & Girls Clubs work with club members, focusing on three priority areas: academics, good character and citizenship and healthy lifestyles.

This project will provide club members increased access to technology as well as a stable internet connection, in addition to more space for tutoring sessions and many different types of programs.

“This is the place where you come so you can grow into a professional,” Robinson said. She said that the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions curtailed BGC activities, and the new renovated space will be a real plus as club members continue to return to the Oxford unit.

Michael Currin, chairman of the BGC corporate board, said the transformed space will be a kid-friendly space and will provide a “first-class environment that will meet the needs of our kids.”

Follow the progress at https://www.facebook.com/BGCNCNC/

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