The director of the Boys and Girls Club of Burlington said the renovations took around four years and $600,000 to complete.
BURLINGTON, Vt. — Sen. Peter Welch joined staff and kids at the Boys and Girls Club of Burlington on Monday for the grand opening of the newly renovated pool.
Cheers, splashing and friendly competition could be seen and heard as kids at the Boys and Girls Club cooled off on the hot July day.
“To have this beautiful pool that we have 100 kids in each day, swimming lessons, having fun just means the world to us,” said Tanya Benosky, the club’s executive director.
Benosky said the renovations took around four years and $600,000 to complete.
She added that none of it would have been possible without support from Welch, who helped secure thousands of federal dollars for the project.
“Whenever we ask Sen. Welch’s office about something, and say, ‘Here are the ways you can support us,’ their answer is always ‘yes,'” Benosky said. “It means a tremendous amount to us.”
Welch was joined in a ribbon-cutting event by Joyce McEntee, a longtime dedicated staff member whose face showed her utter surprise when Benosky announced the pool would be named after her.
Welch said it’s advocates like those at the Boys and Girls Club who inspire him to help create change.
“It was a lot of adults who were kids once, and they know from their own memory how important it is to have a place to swim,” Welch said. “So, I’m inspired by the local leadership that put their efforts into providing this opportunity for the kids.”
In addition to swim lessons, the Boys and Girls Club of Burlington is also bringing kids together this summer through other sports lessons, school preparation and by offering three free meals a day.
“We have breakfast and snack and lunch and then we’ve partnered with the city parks and rec to help support them in getting dinner tickets each day,” Benosky said.
Benosky said everything the club does is to ensure parents feel confident knowing their kids are cared for when they drop them off at the Boys and Girls Club.
“That they can drop off their kids, and their kids will be taken care of by people who care about them and are ready to offer the things they want,” she said.
You can find more about the opportunities offered at the Boys and Girls Club of Burlington here.
Story Written by Anna Guber, NBC5