Boys & Girls Club Opens New Playground

A new Nantucket Boys and Girls Club’s playground officially opened Thursday, marking a fresh chapter in the club’s efforts to support Nantucket’s youth and promote healthy outdoor recreation.

“[The playground is] another option for the island for kids to play outside, get some exercise, and be able to play with a group,” NB&GC CEO Jamie Foster said. “Another resource to get kids off the tablets and get outside and play, which is really what we're all about here.”

Foster said that most Boys and Girls Clubs have a playground, but until now, the NB&GC has not had one of its own. Foster has always wanted the NB&GC to have a playground, but when the club launched its new preschool initiative last year, having somewhere for the children to play outdoors became a much higher priority.

The playground is not intended just for the club’s membership. Whenever the club is closed, the playground will be open to the general public.

“It's a great kind of mid-island resource for the community,” Foster said. “It's a little of everything.”

Foster noted that existing playgrounds on Nantucket are often busy and overcrowded, a problem the NB&GC’s new initiative could help address.

The playground was entirely funded by the Nantucket Golf Club Foundation, well-known for its child-centred philanthropy.

“We're extremely happy...that the foundation supported us,” Foster said. “They're all about the kids.”

Photos below by JohnCarl McGrady