HOPKINSVILLE, KY (CHRISTIAN COUNTY NOW) – The Hopkinsville Boys & Girls Club has reached out to the city for financial support to further their commitment to local youth by targeting an underserved age group with a new development.
Executive Director Terrence Davis told the Hopkinsville Committee of the Whole on April 23 that just over 100 kids come through the club every day after school. This funding request would help the club create a dedicated space for a Tween Center in addition to their newly constructed Teen Center.
“Our issue that we are running into is when the sixth graders went back to the middle school a couple of years ago, it kind of broke our system because they are too cool to be with our elementary schoolers, and the older kids do not want them over there in that teen center,” said Davis.
To help fund this venture, the city is being asked to contribute $230,000 for the project. City CFO Melissa Clayton said this money would come out of their Capital Equipment Replacement Reserve.
Davis specified that this development at their Walnut Street location would accommodate around 30-40 sixth and seventh graders in their own space with academic support, a STEM robotics program and other resources.
The Hopkinsville-Boys & Girls Club building is owned by the city, although the club operates independently through the Boys & Girls Club network. The club has raised over $1 million dollars on their own to improve the building and expand services over the years. Davis said, “We try not to come to you guys unless we absolutely need it.”
The councilmembers at the committee of the whole meeting forwarded the expenditure to the Hopkinsville City Council where there will be a vote for final approval.
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