The Boys & Girls Club of Truckee Meadows and the William N. Pennington Foundation are proud to announce a new facility in Reno to serve thousands of northern Nevada youth, with a new vision for a storied property.
The Club and Foundation, contingent on a commitment by the City of Reno to transfer ownership, have entered into an agreement to build a state-of-the art, 45,000-square-foot facility at the old YMCA site at 1300 Foster Drive, across the street from Reno High School – a positive place that will promote learning, healthy living, creativity and leadership for school-age children in the characteristic Boys & Girls Club way, while honoring the legacy of youth services that has been a hallmark of that property for decades.
Since the YMCA closed in 2007, there has been an obvious need for a youth services facility to serve the approximately 26,000 children whose families live within a 3-mile radius. The new building will feature gym space, tutoring and computer labs, youth, tween and teen centers, and more, all backed by the Club’s proven programming model which already serves more than 10,000 school-age kids at 19 sites in the Reno, Sparks and Fernley areas.
The late William Pennington may be best known as a local and international pioneer in the gaming industry, but his vision and foresight to improve the community he loved for future generations is exemplified in this project. The co-trustees of the foundation are pursuing this project to help fulfill the promise of 1300 Foster Drive, bringing back to life a site that has meant so much to local families for decades.
The Boys & Girls Club of Truckee Meadows, which currently serves more than 10,000 members with an 80,000-square-foot facility, as well as satellite sites throughout northern Nevada, expects the William N. Pennington Facility to attract between 3,000-4,000 additional members.
The Boys & Girls Club has its own history at this site.
For four years the Club has operated the E. L. Wiegand Early Learning Center, a child care and all-day kindergarten program, next door to the William N. Pennington Facility site. That project was made possible thanks to funding from the E. L. Wiegand Foundation when the YMCA closed. The city also worked with the Club to bring that center to life. When the construction to the west is complete, it will essentially create a youth campus that will serve as a beacon for youth services nationwide.
