Boys and Girls Club of Atlantic City to Open New Teen Center

Boys and Girls Club of Atlantic City to Open New Teen Center

An admirable campaign to invest in the youth of Atlantic City

By Ryan Gerace

The Boys and Girls Club on Pennsylvania Avenue in Atlantic City has been undergoing some major renovations in order to create a brand-new teen center for the youth of Atlantic City. The goal of the center is to transform the club into a haven for teens to practice career development, college prep, and empower them in a supportive and state of the art environment. The AC Boys and Girls Club will now have a center for teens and a center for children to go to after school.

“We are trying to get these teens on a path to go to college or go into a career” explained Maryann McElroy, the Director of Development of the Boys and Girls Club of Atlantic City.

The club wants the teens of Atlantic City to have a supportive and fun place to go to after school where they can receive college and career counseling, make new friends, find their passion, and be in a positive environment. This new center has been seen as a necessity for the Boys and Girls Club because in the past, teens could not go to the club because the younger kids where occupying it during after school hours. Due to licensing issues, the AC Boys and Girls Club could not have both kids and teens in their programs right after school, so the teens would often not show up at all. This was seen as an issue because many teens can be susceptible to “risky” behaviors during after school hours according to the Boys & Girls Club and they want to put these teens on the right path to a great future.

“We are fully committing ourselves to creating career opportunities for the teens of Atlantic City” said Michelle Carrera, the CEO of the Boys and Girls Club of Atlantic City.

This new teen center will be laid out like a college campus, with many different areas to learn, connect, and seek out guidance from college counselors and local business owners. The new teen center will mainly focus on teaching Atlantic City teens various aspects of hospitality, technology, and health careers. There will be a new state-of-the-art kitchen area where they can learn all the different aspects of the food, restaurant, and hospitality businesses. Some teens might decide they don’t want to attend college and want to pursue a hands-on career right after graduating high school. This is something the Boys and Girls Club fully supports and plans to guide them through various aspects of the interview process.

“We will have a ‘Dress for Success’ area where teens can pick out clothes they need for job interviews” explained McElroy, “we really want to make them feel empowered and boost their self-esteem.”

Carrera and McElroy have been hard at work raising their $2 million goal to fund and keep this new teen center afloat for the next five years. They are so close to their goal and are always very gracious to accept donations. Borgata, ACCC, Stockton, and many other local casinos and businesses have donated to the Boys and Girls Club to help finance this wonderful project. The renovations to the property cost about $500,000-$600,000, and the rest of the money will go to yearly expenses and upkeeping of the new building among other expenses they anticipate having.

The Boys and Girls Club of Atlantic City Teen Center is looking to have their grand opening event in May if everything from here on out goes smoothly. If you would like to donate to the Boys and Girls Club of Atlantic City, please visit their website at www.acbgc.org to learn how you can help this amazing organization.

Ryan Gerace is a recent graduate from La Salle University with a Master’s in Strategic Communication. Born and raised in Linwood, NJ. He enjoys cooking, baking, and community events.