Mat-Su Boys & Girls Club cuts the ribbon, celebrates upgrades

WASILLA—The Mat-Su Boys & Girls Club staff cut the red ribbon with Lowe’s staff, Oct. 19, celebrating the completion of $50,000 worth of upgrades to the facility thanks to the building supply store’s Renovation Across the Nation program.

“Everything was really needed,” Mat-Su club manager Howie Marks said.

Earlier this year, the Mat-Su club was selected as one of 50 Boys & Girls Clubs around the country to receive the $50,000 grant. The club started its renovations in May, partnering with Lowe’s employees from the Wasilla store. Lowe’s employees volunteered their time and labor, constructing and installing the various projects.

“I’ve been here 10-and-a-half years and we’ve never done anything even close,” Marks said.

During the ribbon cutting ceremony, Lowe’s staff toured the facility to see their various works. Marks presented Lowe’s store manager, Savannah Egan, and her staff a framed Lowe’s apron singed by club members and staff signed along with before and after photos of the clubhouse. These before and after photos can be seen on the club’s Facebook page.

Upgrades include all new energy efficient LED lighting, fresh carpet and paint on the entire second floor (which houses the teen room, tech lab, art room, and staff offices), new coaches and other furniture in the teen room, new computers in the tech lab, additional cubbies, counters and sink improvements in both bathrooms, new light posts in the parking lot, and new pool tables.

“It allows every kid to have a cubbie,” Marks said.

Prior to the upgrade, cubbie space was always an obstacle, with 16 cubbies for an average of 100 kids each afternoon, according to Marks. He said that praise for the new cubbie area is the top comment he gets from parents.

“There’d be a pile of jackets four feet high, kids waving through,” he said. “We couldn’t do anything about it.”

Marks said these upgrades have been a longtime need.

“Probably the whole time I work there,” Marks said.

He added that historically, facility upgrades have always been at odds with their mission of affordability.

The club is a grant-based program. He explained that basically, there are two ways to raise money for upgrades, grants or driving up the prices. He said that since he started over decade ago, the annual membership fee only raised by $10, from $40 to $50.

“It’s super cheap, affordable child care, so not a whole lot of upgrades really come,” he said.

According to Marks, the Mat-Su club’s early bird program fluxes, but on average sees about 18 kids in the morning. He said that this year is breaking president, with an average of about 48 kids coming through the doors before school starts, more than doubling their average. He also noticed a similar spike in their afternoon attendance, up about 35 to 40 percent. He speculated on a number of reasons including the population boom and rates of childcare but ultimately wasn’t sure where the spike in attendance came from but it did reflect a steady growth over the years.

“I don’t know that happened but it just keeps getting bigger,” Marks said.

For more information about the Mat-Su Boys and Girls club, located off Bogard Road, call 907-357-2532.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman reporter Jacob Mann at jacob.mann@frontiersman.com