ECCF team and fundholders visit construction-in-progress for new state-of-the-art expansion
By Michelle Xiarhos Curran
ECCF SENIOR WRITER AND CONTENT STRATEGIST
On a bright October morning, the thud of hammers and the whirring of buzz saws could be heard up and down Franklin Street in Central Lynn.
For those eagerly anticipating the completion of the Boys & Girls Club of Lynn (BGCL) phase II expansion project, the cacophony of a large construction project is so much more than a collection of loud noises; it represents the promise of new possibilities.
“We’re in the middle of a pretty exciting chapter at the club,” said Brian Theirrien, the club’s CEO.
Theirrien guides a group of ECCF staff and fundholders – wearing white hard hats and bright yellow vests – through the active three-story maze of steel and concrete, a tour arranged for donors as part of ECCF’s Nonprofit Connect program. Members of the BGCL team point out where the new lobby will be – and the cafeteria, pool and splashpad, basketball gym, dance and podcast studios, rec room, new classrooms and state-of-the-art performing arts space.
“We’re so happy we’re going to have a space of our own,” said Josenny Duran, who has led the BGCL theater program since 2023. When the phase II expansion is complete – estimated by spring of next year – she and her colleagues will have a dedicated place that supports a growing interest in the arts.
In the last three years, participation in the club’s theater program has doubled. “Kids who have never done theater before are on stage – and singing,” says Duran, a sense of pride in her words.
The new Theater and Performing Arts Center, where staff will have increased capacity to foster even more creativity, teamwork and confidence for their young members, is a welcome, timely upgrade.
Building a Brighter Future
Over the years, the Boys & Girls Club of Lynn has evolved from a place for basketball and video games into an accessible center for exploration and growth. The club has four major buckets of programming: Out-of-school time (OST) programming (licensed by the Department of Early Education and Care), for which 90% of the club’s families receive state vouchers to cover; an affordable drop-in program that gives young people opportunities to play, grow and learn safely; a free Teen Center; and the club’s Camp Creighton in Middleton, a life-changing experience for 150 Lynn students each summer.
Together, these programs support the healthy development of Lynn’s young people.
When the phase II expansion is complete, the reimagined Boys & Girls Club of Lynn will be able to do even more. It’ll have double the space, the capacity to serve 700 members (and reduce its current 275-person waitlist), and the ability to more effectively meet a growing need for a place where Lynn’s youth can feel safe, healthy and connected.
The improved BGCL campus will also include additional classrooms for expanded OST programming – which includes art, science, music and more – and an entire wing devoted to teens, a growing population at the club.
“We’re incredibly proud of the teen growth that we’re seeing,” said Grace Duran, BGCL’s executive director, who added that the club has been placing a bigger focus on teen mental health and fostering life and leadership skills through on and off-campus programming, like college visits and field trips.
Food as a Focus
One of the most critical aspects of the expanded BGCL is the addition of a new commercial kitchen and larger cafeteria.
“Food is such a big piece,” said Theirrien.
Providing meals at the club – particularly during times of increased need, like the recent SNAP reductions – helps to take the pressure off low-income parents, who are often short on time and resources. Some estimates put Lynn’s food insecurity rate at more than 20 percent, with 76 percent of the city’s public-school students eligible for free or reduced lunch.
“Having food here is going to be the difference-maker,” said Theirrien, who added that it was the need for a larger cafeteria to support more efficient food distribution that drove up the original cost of the phase II expansion. “The need is real, and this is the reason we’re asking our community to rally a little bit more.”
‘A Wining Organization’
The club has already raised more than $21 million of the $28 million price tag for this phase of the expansion. Housed in a building 136 years old, BGCL underwent its first phase of renovation from 2020-2021, when the existing space was gutted and modernized.
“Where we are sitting now was in shambles when I got here,” said Brendan Ward, who serves on the boards of both the BGCL and ECCF. He speaks of his passion for the work BGCL does in the community, and for the strength of its leadership, who have embraced collaboration and partnership – like the one they have with Northeast Arc to offer inclusive recreational programming for their participants – to increase the club’s impact.
“It truly makes this a community place,” said Ward. “Brian and Grace have altered this organization.”
Upcoming plans for the club also include a new preschool program, additional parking and a u-shaped drop-off area for the many buses that transport youth from Lynn Public Schools to the club, which will make navigating the congested area safer and more efficient.
“This is the type of winning organization we were dreaming about and it’s happening now,” said Theirrien, “You can’t do that without the families understanding the importance of the Boys & Girls Club.”
And they do.
“I can’t express how much this place means to me and my child,” said parent Dominique Anastas in a video on the BGCL website. “They’re in her life a lot, and I have to be able to say that she’s in good hands and I know truly from my heart that she is.”
For more information about BGCL’s, work, their capital campaign and phase II expansion project, please visit www.bgcl.org.
