My latest newspaper article........

"The Arizona Republic or www.azcentral.com January 29, 2009"

It's often said the Boys and Girls Clubs can shelter kids from bad things in the world.

That has literally been true at times for the staff of the Compadre Branch of the Boys and Girls Clubs of the East Valley. At the groundbreaking ceremony for the Club's new building (expected to be completed this fall) branch executive Mindy Elias told of times when the staff had to stand in the doors and beat back the elements.

"Because we're so close to the railroad track, when it rains the parking lot is like a lake," Elias said. "The water would literally come through the front door. So we're standing there with brooms and mops trying to push it out so it doesn't get to the wooden gym floor.

"We've had bees fly in to what used to be swamp coolers and start making honey. We have to call and have them removed. You'd be amazed at what happens in this building. It's old. We're excited to not have to deal with things like that."

The new club will be built on land that serves as a parking lot and play field for the current location. The club has been at 300 E. Chandler Boulevard (east of Arizona Avenue) since 1983.
The buildings have been there for more than 50 years, however. Before the Boys and Girls Club, the buildings housed Seton Catholic High School and what became Chandler-Gilbert Community College.

Construction starts in earnest on the new facility next week and it's expected to be completed in about nine months.
The new building will be the biggest Boys and Girls Club in the East Valley system at 32,000 square feet. It will feature two gyms, a stage, meeting and classroom space, a bigger computer lab and a full kitchen.

Its floors will also be three feet higher than the current facility to reduce the chance of the building being flooded.
The $8 million facility was paid for through a bond passed by Chandler voters in 2007. Like the current facility, it will be owned by the city and leased to the Boys and Girls Clubs. Other non-profit groups will be able to use the facility for meetings.

The new building will also have the second highest level of certification from the United States Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program.
That will be used as an educational tool for the club too.

"The way this building will be built, it's going to be very green," said Ramon Elias, CEO of the Boys and Girls Clubs of the East Valley. "We'll educate the kids on the ways of the future and what they can do to save the environment."