Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Northwest Indiana welcomes families back to newly renovated John Will Anderson Gary Club

On Saturday, June 6, Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Northwest Indiana welcomed the community back to the John Will Anderson Gary Club after months of extensive renovation. Besides celebrating the reopening of the Club, the event provided families with the chance to have fun, learn about everything the club has to offer, and meet with local vendors providing necessary community resources.

The John Will Anderson Gary Club closed in December for a complete renovation. Built on the bones of Tolleston High School, the Club renovations were designed with safety and engagement in mind. This includes a total reworking of the Club’s entrance, expansions in many classrooms, an on-site learning kitchen, STEM space, and more.

Brianna Griffin, John Will Anderson Club Director, is excited to welcome families back to their local Club.

“One of the saddest things we see is when our families don’t have transportation and can’t get to the Club,” Griffin said. “When kids had to go to the Lake Station Club, we lost a lot of members because they didn’t have the transportation. It makes a huge difference that we’re coming back into our own community. Everyone is welcome, ready, and excited.”

The reopening event featured everything from facepainting and bounce houses to robotics activities and educational experiments for children to enjoy. Adults could hear from vendors like Indiana Foster Care and Choices Coordinated Care Solutions. Club staff were also providing guided tours of the new facility. Guests could see the learning classrooms, expanded cafeteria, hangout spaces, and the Boeing Makerspace and Best Buy Teen Tech Center.

“The Best Buy Teen Tech Center is a hidden gem at the John Will Anderson Gary Club. It’s one of the few in the Midwest and gives teenagers the opportunity to explore STEM, technology, and creativity,” Griffin said. “We’re trying to break barriers to exposure in that space so that students don’t have to wait to get experience with the technology.”

The Boys & Girls Clubs’ partnership with Best Buy is one of several that’s making the John Will Anderson Gary Club special. The Club is the first of three major entities opening on the Tolleston Opportunity Campus. The Club will be joined by the Crossroads YMCA and Methodist Hospitals in the fall, creating a new community hub.

“Without partnerships, we wouldn’t be able to have nearly as large of an impact on young people as we currently do,” Mike Jessen, president and CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Northwest Indiana, said. “This project is an interesting opportunity for three nonprofits to get together and say, ‘We’re going to work together to build something tremendous.’”

The need to bring resources together in one convenient location is large in the Tolleston community. Both Jessen and Griffin believe the campus will be transformational for many in the area.

“It’s definitely needed in our community. Through unity, we can serve more people,” Griffin said. “You don’t have to drive to Crown Point or Merrillville or Hobart to get whatever you need; it’s already in Gary, and it’s right down the street. You can get daycare from the YMCA, educational programming from the Boys & Girls Clubs, and healthcare from Methodist Hospitals in one place.”

The renovated John Will Anderson Gary Club can house up to 500 people at one time, and Jessen, Griffin, and the team expect attendance to double over the next year. The Club is also opening just in time to begin summer camps on June 9. Griffin has already seen an increase in sign ups compared to last year.

“We already have 150 students for summer alone, when last year we were averaging 75,” she said. “During the summer, we operate from 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. We do field trips on Tuesdays and Thursdays, STEM brain games, programs like Drone Legends that are educationally enriching and fun, and camps.”

Those interested in learning more can view the summer schedule online. The Boys & Girls Clubs’ summer camps are a low-cost way to encourage creativity and education in children, no matter their age.

“The overwhelming support and appreciation for what we do isn’t why we do it, but the appreciation and support that we get from the community and the families is tremendous,” Jessen said. “There’s never been a more difficult time to raise a child, to be a parent, a grandparent, or even a community member. It is critical right now to make sure that we’re doing everything we can to pour ourselves and our services into these young people to give them every opportunity that they need and deserve.”

Visit bgcgreaternwi.org to learn more about Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Northwest Indiana, including how you can support the organization’s work in your community.