 Seeing the Possibilities
New Life for an Old Gym
Meet a Club with a pioneering spirit. Not only
is the Boys & Girls Clubs of Green Country, Okla., one of the country's first Native American Club organizations (it opened in 1997), but it's also a role model for forming successful relationships with area school districts. Such relationships have been critical in the development and opening of a new Clubhouse on school grounds. Through a unique joint use agreement, the school district awarded the Club a 20-year lease on the property, formerly an abandoned gymnasium.
Several years ago, the Green Country school district was faced with a dilapidated gym but no money to renovate. Ron Gurley, a former school superintendent and current chief professional officer of the area Boys & Girls Club, recognized the potential for a win-win situation. He inquired about the boarded-up gym in hopes that his Club could relocate from their cramped quarters in an old bank.
After getting the go-ahead from the school, Gurley applied for
a state grant through the Rural Economic Assistance Program.
The funding journey, he says, was long and complicated. Gurley drew upon on his knowledge as a former superintendent as well as his entrepreneurial attitude to keep
the process moving. His deep commitment to Native American youth was also critical to seeing
the project succeed. "I remember watching children on school buses
at 3 p.m. wondering where are they going, why are they leaving the safe haven of school and what are they going home to?" he recalls.
Eventually, Gurley's commitment to the project yielded results. After being awarded a $50,000 grant from the state, the Club was able to begin renovations, which were completed in February of this year. In the end,
the school got a new gym and a Boys & Girls Club was able
to move into its new home, right on the school grounds. |
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