Washington County, OH – The most important components of a project are found in the first step: vision casting. Without casting a vision, no amount of planning and coordination can bring life to a project. For the final result to come to fruition, a project needs a person, or in this case, a group, to dream big.

Last spring, the Boys & Girls Club of Washington County applied to Marietta Community Foundation’s grant cycle to cover a significant portion of architectural fees for an upcoming project. Under the leadership of Rebecca Johnson, Executive Director of BGCWC, a vision was cast for an expanded recreational facility for the children and community they serve.

“This vision is not mine alone,” said Johnson, “it first belongs to the youth of the Boys & Girls Club of Washington County. They wanted a space in which they can play and feel safe. It also belongs to our hard-working staff and dedicated volunteers.”

Their current location offered space for their programming, however, on the same premises was a large gym unable to be utilized due to structural issues. Johnson and her team saw an opportunity and took action.

“This is an easy project to support on a few different levels,” said Johnson. “First, it is benefitting the local youth. Second, the project makes major capital improvements in Harmar. And, third, it will strengthen our organization by allowing us to fulfill our mission for all of Washington County.”

This vision for the future of BGCWC resonated with the Foundation’s Board of Directors on each level and the $20,000 grant was unanimously approved to cover the project’s architectural fees.

“The strides that Boys & Girls Club has taken recently have been nothing short of impressive,” said Dr. Bret Frye, Chairman of the Foundation’s board. “When we look at all the grant applications, one thing we like to see is sustainability. They [BGCWC] have shown that they are here to stay and play a positive role in our county.”

The gym renovation will benefit the 204 youth, grades K-12, enrolled at the BGCWC. However, once the project is completed, Johnson and her team have projected that their enrollment will increase by a drastic margin.

“We expect the number to increase by 10%, with teen membership increasing by 100% within one year after the renovation is complete and the gym is open,” said Johnson.

After receiving several bids from different architects, the BGCWC chose a local company to oversee the build, Sixmo, Inc. Johnson said out of all of the bids they had received, Sixmo was the only firm that generously considered their non-profit status when it came to cost.

“We believe ‘giving back’ is also a form of ‘paying it forward,’” said Patrick Thornton, Principal & Director of Business Development at Sixmo. “We don’t always need to make the top industry profit margin to get value out of a project. Helping the local community thrive isn’t only good for business, it is good for the soul.”

Sixmo will oversee all phases of the gym’s construction, a $855,000 project. While BGCWC has recently received raised $600,000 through different grants and donations, those who wish to contribute to the project may do so by sending donations to the Cynthia Summers Fund for the Boys & Girls Club of Washington County, a fund at Marietta Community Foundation.

Marietta Community Foundation works to improve Washington County through grants and initiatives, if you want to help improve our community through these efforts, please contact Heather Allender at 740-373-3286 or heather@mcfohio.org.