The Boys and Girls Club of Santa Clarita hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony for the renovations at the Thomas E. Dierckman Clubhouse in Canyon Country on Wednesday afternoon.
The renovations included new carpeting and tiles and new lighting in the activity center, the room for the teenage club members, and the bathrooms, too.
Assemblywoman Pilar Schiavo, D-Chatsworth, worked with the SCV Boys and Girls Club to secure funds to help renovate the clubhouse.
“I was here last year to present a check for $160,000, one of those big, oversized checks with all of the kids, and at the time I said, ‘Are you looking forward to getting new carpets?’ And they were all like ‘yeah.’ ‘New bathrooms?’ And it really has made such a big difference just walking in. The space is so much brighter,” Schiavo said.
Schiavo got emotional when talking about Araceli Arreola, the site director at the Canyon Country clubhouse, and said she is someone who helps make the club a safe and welcoming place for students to thrive in.
“Families are going through a lot. It’s hard to afford things right now and having such an affordable space that’s safer that your kids can to go after school, you know, as a mom, I know how important that is,” Schiavo said. “And it just, you can tell the love and all of the work that goes into making this a place that kids have a great experience and are really formative experiences in their lives.”
Arreola was recognized during the ceremony for five years of work and was given a certificate from Schiavo’s office as well.
She added that the renovations not only affect the club, but also the community.
“Just, you know, this investment, it’s not just investments in carpet or flooring. It’s really an investment in our kids, in our future, you know, in the Boys and Girls Club to be around for our community and important ways that is so meaningful to parents and kids alike,” Schiavo said.
Matt Nelson, CEO of the SCV Boys and Girls Club, said the renovations were much needed after over 20 years of children walking through.
“You could feel the difference when you walk in. The kids, the excitement, the energy, it just feels, you know, more welcoming as much needed renovations after over 20 years of the building being here. It was time for some new floors and for some lighting upgrades,” Nelson said.
Nelson said that he feels proud, hopeful, and has a lot of joy for what the club has been able to accomplish.
“The kids, these kids are so important to me and to our staff and our board and, you know, the investment that our community is willing to make and our kids, it’s important. It takes a community to raise a child and takes a village, as they say, in the old saying goes,” Nelson said.
Recalling a memory of when the Canyon Country clubhouse first opened, Nelson said he started with the club the same year.
“So I remember how it was when we first opened, how excited the kids were and how I want to keep that excitement and just keep the club and maintain it and honor and, you know, I feel it’s a great sense of responsibility for other people that got the club built in the first place to be able to keep it the awesome place that it is and keep it this way for another 20 years,” Nelson said.
Mallory Repreza, 11, said the new renovations were amazing.
“When I first came here, it was kind of interesting because I met a lot of new people and everyone was nice. It’s just the part that made everything a bit unorganized was the carpet because it had a lot of stains, you know,” Repreza said.
Repreza added that with the renovations, everything was fresher, cleaner, and more organized.
She added that she loved the new space with the open ceiling.
“It honestly, I love it. I love the sun. I love brightness. I love light. I love everything. Just trying to keep away from the darkness,” Repreza said.
