The Boys & Girls Club of Aurora will be getting a stand-alone clubhouse in the near future. The clubhouse will include a recreation center, library and sensory room, and a STEM lab and art room. (Artist’s rendering)

A stand-alone clubhouse is in the works for the Boys & Girls Club of Aurora thanks to a Community Project Funding program donation, orchestrated by U.S. Rep. Bill Foster, D-Naperville.

The 45,000-square-foot facility, intended to serve 400 Aurora youth from kindergarten through high school during non-school hours, will supplement existing Boys & Girls Club programs being offered at eight schools in the city.

Cathy Russell, CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of North Central Illinois, said the new clubhouse will represent the organization’s first stand-alone facility in Aurora.

“One of the goals of the board (of directors) was to have our own facility — a stand-alone facility — that can have more space than we have at the schools,” Russell said. “We will still operate in schools because the new facility will only serve about 400 kids per day, but we will have more space at the new facility.”

Plans include a recreation center (featuring a gym, track and stage), library & sensory room (with spaces for reading, quiet time and inclusive support), STEM lab & art room (encouraging innovation and creativity), teen center & game room (providing a space for young adults), workforce development center (to prepare youth for careers), and commercial kitchen & buffet (for building skills and providing nourishment).

“When you partner with schools, the advantage is, the kids are right there,” Russell said. “The bell rings at school, kids will go to the cafe, do some homework, and engage in social activities or activities in the gym. But at some sites, the gym is busy all the time. With our own stand-alone clubhouse, we can stay open longer hours, from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. in summer. The new facility gives us more space and longer hours.”

Russell said that a stand-alone clubhouse also instills members with a sense of ownership, among other intangibles.

“The kids feel like it’s their room,” she said. “As part of that, you’re getting the kids’ voices … hearing what they’d like to see at the club. And the recognition part. You want the kids to be recognized for the work they’re doing. Also, new relationships form by coming to a stand-alone club.”

In keeping with the organization’s goal of exposing club members to 50 different career choices by the end of eighth grade, Russell said programming will include, “bringing in people from the outside who can dive into their particular areas. We can bring in a bank president, or an HR person, or a lawyer. They can come in and explain what they do, and talk about what opportunities are out there. The club is like a bridge to the future.”

Russell said plans for the clubhouse align with the “Moonshot 100” project, aimed at expanding Boys & Girls Clubs of North Central Illinois sites from 36 to 100. In addition to Aurora, the organization serves Batavia, Elgin, Hanover Park, Schaumburg, South Elgin and Streamwood.

A site for the Aurora clubhouse has yet to be finalized, with the possibility of Garfield Park being ruled out.

“Right now, we’re determining the location,” Russell said. “It’s not decided yet, but should be shortly. Then we can solidify plans for what the kids want and what the community needs.

“But we’ll be patient. The doors will open when the timing is right. We want it to be state of the art. We want the best club possible for our kids.”