Ellettsville Boys & Girls Club Unit Director Oscar Gonzales has been working in an office crowded by his things, many of them still in boxes. His computer has been sitting about five feet high on top of a filing cabinet since the move, forcing him to bring his hands to his shoulders to type. This reflects the mad dash his club made from the old Eagles Landing property to Ellettsville Christian Church.
Gonzales said the club moved because of a “combination of rain beating the roof and us looking for a permanent home.”
“We left the space out of our own accord,” he added. “(Seven Oaks Classical School) has done nothing to push us out. This was a decision made because it was best for our program.”
The club’s summer program was displaced twice by rain in August, precipitating the move. They had been in the building at the former Eagles Landing since 2009.
Kevin Cherry, ECC director of student ministries, said Gonzales told them the club needed to move somewhere by Sept. 6. The two organizations had been partnering for a while, and the church felt it needed to extend a helping hand.
“We didn’t know if we had the space,” Cherry said. “We didn’t know if we could do it. But I think everyone involved in (ECC) leadership knew there was a need there.”
The church’s leadership decided it would be unfair to offer the unit a place to stay unless they could support them through the academic year. They approved a lease through May 2017 and the deal was made.
“We were in a pinch and they graciously offered us space,” Gonzales said. “This is their space. They have plans for their space, but they saw the need and stepped up to help us out.”
The Ellettsville Boys & Girls Club had five classrooms and a large multipurpose room at the old building. In the church, it has enough space for rooms dedicated to certain activities, including a library, computer lab and art room. It also has an indoor gymnasium, which Gonzales said is exciting to him and the kids.
“When winter comes around, the kids can still play and burn off energy, as opposed to just clearing out all the tables in one of our classrooms and turning that into an indoor active area,” he said.
Access to a commercial kitchen will help the club run its cooking and baking clubs, which are part of the healthy lifestyles programs. Before moving to ECC, all it had was a stove, a hand-washing sink and a microwave.
Other areas include a teen room, height-adjusted rooms for younger children and a multipurpose youth room.
“We get to continue running the program that we’ve always run,” Gonzales said. “In the other space, we had less rooms but bigger rooms. Every room was multipurpose. Here, we’re able to have dedicated space. The quality of our program hasn’t been diminished at all. I consider that a luxury.”
Unit Program Director Stephanie Bryant organized the move. She directed volunteers from the Ellettsville Council for Youth, Ellettsville Departments of Utilities and Streets, and other parts of the community. According to Gonzales, their combined efforts enabled the club to move “in a matter of hours” on a Saturday morning.
Since the school year started, the club has averaged 150 to 160 kids per day, following an increase of about 24 when Seven Oaks Classical School opened.
Originally published in Ellettsville Journal, 2016. Republished here for archival and portfolio purposes.