Ribbon cutting, grand opening for Tech Center
(Rockwall) June 13, 2012 – The Boys & Girls Club of Rockwall County, along with the Rockwall Chamber of Commerce, welcomed more than 60 community investors, City Dignitaries, special guests and over 185 Club members to a ribbon cutting and grand opening ceremony June 12, celebrating the Club’s newly established Technology Center, donated by TECH CORPS Texas.
Misti Potter, CEO of the Boys & Girls Club, addressed the crowd and shared that for the first time since the Club opened six years ago, they’ve had to start a waiting list due to the number of kids registered this summer.
Potter thanked Pizza Cucina, Nothing Bundt Cakes and The Flower Box for donating food and decorations for the special day. She introduced the BGCRC Chairman of the Board, Stephen Straughan, who outlined the vision and future growth projections for the organization.
Straughan expressed a sincere need to call on the community to help raise the funds necessary to support the Club’s current capacity and programs, as well as to hire more staff in order to re-open registration and begin the process of launching a capital campaign for a new facility that will accommodate more youth.
When Straughan concluded, Potter told the story of how the computer lab came to fruition – through networking and connections of community leaders such as Ben Parks and Stan Haddock.
Haddock orchestrated a meeting between Potter and Danny Perry, President/CEO of TECH Texas, back in November of 2011; Perry and Haddock agreed to donate 15 computers, flat screen monitors and all of the necessary accessories!
Perry expressed his gratitude to the crowd for their support of the Club and of the celebration. He committed that the tech lab is just the beginning of a bright partnership between TECH Corps Texas and the Boys & Girls Club.
Perry’s corporation, based in Houston, also provides Computer, Math, Robotics and other high level camps for kids which will also be brought to the BGC of Rockwall in the near future.
With his conclusion, Stephan Larson, BGCRC Director of Program Services, and several Club Youth leaders, joined the group as the Rockwall Chamber of Commerce president, Dana Macalik, recognized the Chamber Ambassadors in attendance and initiated the official ribbon cutting.
ABOUT THE BOYS & GIRLS CLUB
The Boys & Girls Club of Rockwall County is located at 901 Interurban Drive in Rockwall.
Great Futures Vision – Provide a world class experience that assures success is within reach of every young person who walks through their doors with all members on track to graduate from high school with a plan for their future, demonstrating good character and citizenship, and living a healthy lifestyle.
Youth ages 6-18 participate in 5 core program areas consisting of:
- Education & Career Development
- Health & Life Skills
- Character & Leadership Development
- The Arts
- Sports, Fitness & Recreation
The addition of a working technology center will make academic and summer programming engaging and impactful through the implementation of on-line and web based curriculum such as iStation, Net SMARTZ, Music Maker and more.
For more information about the Boys & Girls Club of Rockwall County, call 972-722-2462 or email BGCR1@yahoo.com.
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ABOUT TECH CORPS TEXAS
TECH CORPS Texas is a Houston-based 501(c)(3) non-profit social enterprise organized in May, 2002. Its mission is to help students to complete their education and to compete in the global workforce by effectively enhancing K-12 education through technology.
TECH CORPS Texas’ vision is to help create a technologically literate society in which all students have access to the technology and skills that enrich their education and allows them to perform successfully in the educational environment and the global workforce. This is achieved by:
- Bringing to schools technology education resources which support teaching, learning, and school technology infrastructure; Increasing the number of students with access to computers at school and at home through the refurbishment and redistribution of excess corporate computers.
- Recruiting, managing, and supporting volunteers who effectively impact both efforts
TECH CORPS Texas serves public schools and community-based organizations throughout the state of Texas by delivering campus-based technology education programs, like Student TECH CORPS, that enhance student skills in high technology while simultaneously impacting school technical support needs by engaging students in technical support-based service learning activities. Additionally through computer refurbishing activities, they help bridge the digital divide in under-served communities.
TECH CORPS Texas believes its work to be a holistic endeavor involving multiple complementary aspects of community development and as such, they are advocates for collaborative initiatives. Since its inception in 2002, TECH CORPS Texas has placed programs, computers, and volunteers in more than 80 Texas schools in the Houston, Dallas, Austin, and San Antonio metropolitan areas, as well as in the Rio Grande Valley. Additionally they’ve recruited and managed the activities of more than 800 volunteers, and redeployed approximately 5000 refurbished computers into schools, community organizations, and to individuals in need, including to recently discharged military veterans.
For more information about TECH CORPS Texas programs and activities, click on the Our Programs link, or contact them at 713-895-3775, or via email at info@techcorpstexas.org. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Information provided by the Boys & Girls Club of Rockwall County. Ribbon cutting photo by Paula Kerr, Rockwall Chamber of Commerce. Other photos by Blue Ribbon News.
To submit your news and events, email editor@BlueRibbonNews.com.
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