Boys & Girls Club Announces $2.5 Million Campaign For Safety And Building Improvements

The Nantucket Boys and Girls Club is fundraising $2.5 million for safety and design improvements at its building on Sparks Avenue.

“As the Club continues to expand its programs and serve more families, the expectations for youth safety, facility security, and emergency preparedness have evolved,” a promotional slideshow for potential donors reads in part. “Investing now ensures the Club remains a safe, trusted environment for Nantucket youth for decades to come.”

Following a security assessment in 2023, the Boys and Girls Club created a plan to improve safety at the clubhouse by adding dedicated entry and exit vestibules, installing additional security cameras, and upgrading existing cameras.

The improvements also include a reconfiguration of the club’s restrooms, making them primarily single-occupancy. Additionally, the girls’ locker room will be converted to a dedicated backpack storage space, and the boys’ locker room will become a “flexible program space” with potential to support a possible expansion of the Boys and Girls Club’s preschool programming in the future.

“The initiative balances modern safety practices with the warm, community-centered environment that has defined the club for generations,” the slides continue. “Our goal is a building that protects children while preserving the sense of belonging that makes the Club unique.”

Last summer, the club’s major initiative was a new playground outside the building. This summer, the focus is on safety inside the building.

Construction is expected to begin this summer and wrap up a year later. Fundraising is ongoing.