Several months ago, Hopkinsville-Christian County Boys & Girls Club Executive Director Terrence Davis had an idea.
So, naturally, he picked up the phone, and called State Senator Whitney Westerfield.
This was the beginning of a domino effect, where the Kentucky General Assembly recently budgeted and assigned $1 million each to clubs across the Commonwealth for post COVID-19 renovations and needs.
And on Wednesday afternoon, scores filled half of the Hopkinsville club’s gymnasium — in order to celebrate the public unveiling of a remodeled Cornell Teen Center FabLab, complete with an eSports arena, a 3-D and craft printing space, a podcast studio, a state-of-the-art sound booth, a coffee bar, and room to dream up pretty much anything a kid can think about.
Humbled and emotional, Davis noted Christian County’s support, especially from legislators, makes a difference, as the $1 million bequeathed will also be stretched into other capital projects and needs.
Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s Vice President of the Midwest Region Wally Graffen made the trip to Hopkinsville and Christian County to see the upgrades for himself.
A 50-year veteran both as a club kid and later in its leadership, Graffen noted he has never once seen a teen center like this.
Holly Bivins, board member and outgoing chair, noted Westerfield wasn’t the only person who took a phone call that fateful first day.
Bivins also noted that with the remaining funds from the grant, safety measures will be improved at the entry vestibule, and some other “generous investors” are committed to creating a “tween space” for those too old for elementary school tasks, but not quite ready for the life of a teenager.
All of this, she said, is happening in the shadows of the Walnut Street Stadium demolition — property that will eventually become facilities for elementary-aged students, as well as athletic fields and more teen space, especially as leaders from surrounding communities continue to check in on what’s next for the flourishing organization.
As the afternoon ribbon cutting and open house came to a close, several students were conducting a podcast they call “Et Cetera” with local leaders — looking to open communication lines for feedback and roundtable discussion.
When asked about her experiences by long-time club board member Ruth Lynch and United Way of the Pennyrile’s Executive Director Betsy Bond, talk host Genesis Allen — herself a blossoming high schooler — simply said: “I’m great. I hope we’re producing 15 more Terrence Davis’s for the world.”
