O'Reilly Unit Ribbon Cutting

Boys & Girls Clubs of Springfield celebrated dreams coming true this Monday, at the ribbon cutting for the new O'Reilly Unit.

Many friends, donors and partners joined the Club to celebrate this momentous occasion. Opening a Boys & Girls Club in the Tom Watkins neighborhood, to directly serve more students at Williams Elementary, has been a part of BGCS's strategic vision for some time. Club CEO, Brandy Harris, said, “I truly believe that a permanent Club presence can and will change the trajectory of people's lives. Transportation is a barrier to service. We have eliminated that. Cost is a barrier to service. We have eliminated that."

In conjunction with the opening of this beautiful new facility, BGCS also announced the official launch of its new Reach- Workforce Readiness Program.

This program will make a lasting impact on families, by ensuring that every member has equal opportunity to prepare for life after high school. The Reach program will take a whole-family approach, to provide equal access to workforce development opportunities among under-represented & under-resourced communities for both youth and their caretakers.

BGCS would like to thank the O'Reilly/Wooten family and Tim O'Reilly for his vision and for believing in this project. It would also like to thank its partners at Springfield Public Schools, Jon Risdal & the capital campaign committee and to the many donors who made this dream possible.