Chicopee Boys & Girls Club gets more funding for new teen center

CHICOPEE, Mass. (WWLP) – The Boys & Girls Club of Chicopee, Inc. (BGCC) has received a boost in funding for their new teen center.

MassDevelopment has issued a $1,532,000 tax-exempt bond on behalf of the organization which will help to pay for building and equipping the 4,500-square-foot building. The teen center is currently under construction at the Boys & Girls Club campus at 580 Meadow Street in Chicopee and is expected to be completed in October 2024.

The new facility, called “Haven,” will include a new basketball court, a digital media lab, a Zen room, a cafe, and programs geared for teens such as goal setting, resume and interview preparation, and financial literacy.

“The Boys & Girls Club of Chicopee has been supporting young people in Western Massachusetts for more than a century,” said Acting MassDevelopment President and CEO Dan O’Connell. “MassDevelopment is proud to partner with PeoplesBank on tax-exempt financing that will help the organization build a new state-of-the-art teen center on its campus, where it can deliver important programming to help generations of teenagers find success.”

“We are proud to support the Boys & Girls Club of Chicopee in their ambitious undertaking,” said PeoplesBank President Brian Canina. “In addition to assisting with the tax-exempt bond, we have donated to their capital campaign, to their ongoing programming, and have volunteered at numerous Club events over the years. Their focus on the teens of Chicopee is urgently needed, and will pay dividends now, and far into the future.”

“Nothing the Club does is possible without the support of our partners in the community,” said Boys & Girls Club of Chicopee Executive Director Jason M. Reed. “We have been dreaming of this teen center for decades. We are both proud and thankful to have MassDevelopment and PeoplesBank in our corner as we continue our mission of providing great futures to the young people in Chicopee.”

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