Boys & Girls Club of Marshfield -
[Cached Version]
Published on: 3/22/2008
Last Visited: 7/30/2008
"That's what we're up against but we're committed to doing this," said Boys and Girls Club of Marshfield Board of Directors Vice-President John Valianti."It's well-worth doing, but it's a challenge.We need folks to help us with individual donations."He added donations would be accepted from local business as well.
Valianti said the project is pretty much where it should be right now.
"The hope when we started this was that it would take about four years to open," he said."We're on schedule right now.I always knew it would happen, it was just a matter of when."
Valianti said the club's location will be at Library Plaza, located directly next to the Ventress Library.The building the club will be in is roomy, measuring 4,000 square-feet.Club officials sealed up the location about six months ago.
"We're moving forward, we're starting to renovate (the building) and we hope to be open by next fall," Valianti said.He added the new heating and air-conditioning system for the building is in the process of being worked on, as that was one of the curcial aspects of the project which needed to be addressed.
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"I think it was important for us that we did that," Valianti added.
However, Valianti stressed the most important thing to worry about now is funding.He said the board of directors will pursue local fundraising events and certain state grants that could help, but he emphasized the fact that individual donations from the community will be needed.
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"Obviously it might affect our fundraising but people can see that this is for the children and their future," Valianti added.He explained that he was once a member of the Boys & Girls Club of Marlboro and noted that experience helped him build a lot of character while he was growing up.He said many celebrities and sports stars started out at given Boys & Girls Clubs.
"It was always just a place for me to go to and I spent a lot of time there," Valianti said of his Boys & Girls Club experience."It was a place I could go after school to stay out of trouble," He added the Marshfield club will be able to provide all the same opportunities that he had while he was growing up.
"There's about 4,500 kids from ages 6-18 in this town," he said."Sure there are all kinds of programs in this town but there's no formal after-school thing kids can call their own.
Valianti and Johnston said the club will feature an array of activities.
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Valianti said eventually, a gym could potentially be installed in the building.
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We would like to express enormous gratitude to Beth Griffin, the mastermind behind the entire operation and her husband Jack, both of Magestic Sales of Marshfield.
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" Speaking as someone who has been there since the beginning, this is an amazing night for us, " said Boys & Girls Club proponent John Valianti.