Dating back to 1926, the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Tarrant County is home to Texas’ largest and oldest Boys & Girls Club.
Over 66,000 young people are served annually at the two-dozen-plus Denton and Tarrant County club locations, with the second oldest among them being the North Fort Worth branch.
The stand-alone club near Fort Worth’s historic Main Street features a cafeteria, gymnasium, gaming room, art workshop, learning center, and a recently improved teen space.
On Tuesday, Sept. 17, the club’s latest upgrade was unveiled by the Dallas Mavericks and Chime— an entirely reimagined learning and technology center.
Students at the club now have access to brand-new laptops, tablets and interactive learning materials, which will help with schoolwork and further development of the existing S.T.E.A.M curriculum.
The two-room renovation also included new furniture, fresh paint with a Mavs mural wall, carpet installation, and removal of clunky built-ins to improve the functionality of the original 1935 floor plan.
Joining a handful of students at the dedication ceremony were Dallas Mavericks players Kessler Edwards, A.J. Lawson, Oliver-Maxence Prosper and Brandon Williams.
“We want to make sure that our kids have the opportunity to experience the best this community has to offer, and the Mavericks are absolutely a part of that,” said Matt Sinclair, senior vice president of operations for the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Tarrant County. “When you think about the investment that the Dallas Mavericks make in the community every day, it’s amazing.
“We want our kids to understand that they have support, not just here, not just in this community, but throughout, and with an organization like the Dallas Mavericks providing the resources to change this space and not only put up the cost for it but to come out and support it in a real way with real players, that just shows our kids how much people in the community care.”
The players and students participated in a Q&A session, then worked on fun projects like researching the Mavs’ Western Conference Finals MVP Luka Dončić and making custom friendship bracelets.
“It feels good to be out here to make the kids smile and answer some questions that might encourage them one day,” said Mavericks guard Lawson. “One of the kids made me a bracelet that says ‘Go A.J.,’ which I’m actually really excited about, and it’s my favorite color!”
“I had a similar space that I relied on at school in our library,” said Mavericks forward Prosper, who originally hails from Canada. “We had computers that we could use for our schoolwork and research.
“It’s always helpful to have that, especially when you don’t have it at home. Now you can do whatever you want on computers and tablets, so it’s good that the kids can use these to learn and find what they love.”
With the official dedication of the tech center, the Mavericks and Chime are helping the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Tarrant County level up as they continue to provide critical services to Fort Worth youth.
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