MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WBTW) – The Boys and Girls Club of the Grand Strand plans to move into a new, two-story, nearly 20,000 square foot building.
The new facility will be located on Mr. Joe White Avenue, between Dunbar and Carver Streets. For the last 20 years, a blue house on Carver Street has been a second home to thousands of kids in the Boys and Girls Club of the Grand Strand. Director Dione Buonto says it’s time for an upgrade. “You want to give these kids the best that you can give them in terms of programming, facilities and space and space has always been our limitation,” she said.
The blue house isn’t big enough to hold all 250 kids currently in the program. So, members in the first to sixth grades have been at the Mt. Olive AME Church on Carver Street for the last year and a half. Before that, they were located at the Myrtle Beach Family Learning Center until it shut down.
“We’re limited on space here,” said staff member Lucy Romanik. “We do the best we can with what we have. As our space grows the kids we impact is going to grow as well.”
NBA player and Myrtle Beach native Ramon Sessions donated $250,000 to the construction, when he announced he would partner with the Boys and Girls Club on the build. Burroughs and Chapin has donated the land for the building, and the City of Myrtle Beach has also pledged to give $250,000 to the project.
Buonto says the new building will allow about 200 more kids to join the club. She says it will include a full gymnasium, computer lab, and art center inside.
“I’m really excited about having a space dedicated to art, where the kids can come in, create stuff, be messy and have fun,” said Romanik.
Some club members are sad to leave the blue house behind. “They’re like ‘What you’re taking away the blue house?’ But I think once they see the new facility they’re going to be super ecstatic about that,” said Buonto.
The Myrtle Beach Community Appearance Board will review plans for the new building on Thursday.
