BGC members, family get first look at new Railton Center

Nakieyah Hardin, 8, left, and Maleighka Luebbering, 9, lounge in the tween room Thursday during the opening of the new Boys & Girls Club facility, named the Frank & Billie Railton Center. Each room is divided into separate spaces based on age, and there's community spaces for crafts, studying or other activities. The 18,000-square-foot facility also has a computer lab, recording studio and game room.
Nakieyah Hardin, 8, left, and Maleighka Luebbering, 9, lounge in the tween room Thursday during the opening of the new Boys & Girls Club facility, named the Frank & Billie Railton Center. Each room is divided into separate spaces based on age, and there's community spaces for crafts, studying or other activities. The 18,000-square-foot facility also has a computer lab, recording studio and game room.

Shayann Bynum and her friends said they remember eating lunch on their laps due to lack of space and limited number of chairs. Now they have an 18,000-square-foot facility to call home.

On Thursday, a sea of smiles, oohs and ahhs were present as members of the Boys & Girls Club of Jefferson City and their parents took a first look at the new BGC facility, now called the Frank & Billie Railton Center.

The club is named after a deceased couple from Jefferson City who left a trust at Hawthorn Bank for charitable contributions, which ultimately went to the BGC and the Joseph E. Miller Performing Arts Center.

Parents and club members alike agreed the facility was a plus for the community, providing much more than the previous sites could have possibly offered.

The new facility is equipped with learning centers, multiple classrooms, a recording studio, teen center, game room, kitchen, laundry room, cafeteria and basketball court overlooking Lincoln University's football field.

Timothy Farr, 14, said he was excited to have a building that not only offered additional space but one that ensures the safety of the members and their sports equipment.

The two-level building offers a separate area for elementary students on the upper level, and the lower level has space for older members.

Youth Development Professional Carlos Humphrey said having the members in the separate spaces really helps them to focus and form relationships with their mentors, and it presents more options for age-appropriate activities.

Janae Akins, parent of a 9-year-old and a 15-year-old member, said the new facility is in a prime location for parents who have children of different ages.

Akins said when her children attended the school-based sites, she had to drop them off at two separate locations, but now, it's more convenient.

"With the high school, the LINC and Lincoln University being close by, it makes it easier for parents to get to their kids and for the kids to hang out together in a safe environment," she said.

When the club was displaced in 2014 by the Missouri Department of Transportation, programs within the club were spread out across the community. As a result, members attended seven different school sites for activities and programs, while the BGC's administration was housed on LU's campus.

After two years of fundraising and a year-long construction process, the facility was officially completed in late April. BGC officials were given the keys last month, marking the beginning of a new journey and partnership between Lincoln University and Jefferson City Parks and Recreation.

"This is a big day," said Stephanie Johnson, the club's executive director. "It is everything I have worked hard for, and while so many people have invested their time and money to this project, this is truly a gift to the community."

Johnson said she always mentions the great volunteers, donors and community members, but she wanted to take a moment to thank her staff.

"They have worked so hard moving us in so everything would look great for the kids; they are truly incredible people," Johnson said. "The kids are lucky that not only do we have a great community who built this building, but we also have incredible human beings who work with these walls to change lives."

Johnson said summer programming will start Tuesday, and transportation will be provided from East, Moreau Heights and Thorpe Gordan elementary schools. Club members from other schools have to provide their own transportation.

During the summer camp, Tuesday-Aug. 4, all of the school site coordinators will work in the new Railton Center, but when the school year begins in August, STEM programs will resume at Pioneer Trail Elementary School and Thomas Jefferson and Lewis and Clark middle schools.

During the school year, students will have the option of participating at their school site or at the Railton Center.

In addition to the cafeteria and age-appropriate rooms, the new facility offers many technological amenities such as flight simulations, 3-D printing options and iPads that help encourage members' interest in science, technology engineering, arts and mathematics programming.

"When (the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education) funded the STEAM program, it was hard to get across that 'having fun' can be associated to this type of programming. But now we have a space that is more adaptable, and we can add fun in order to create a great experience for the members," coordinator of secondary programming Danyl Mullins said.

"At the old teen center, we were only able to make it work," Paris Lewis, director of secondary programming, said. "With these additional resources, we can provide the optimal experience for every club member."

On June 19, the community is invited to a ribbon-cutting event and to tour the new facility.