Boys & Girls Club takes over Lawrence Irvin Neighborhood Center programming

Posted on July 14, 2017

By Eric Stock

BLOOMINGTON – A local youth development program will now be run entirely by the Boys and Girls Club of Bloomington-Normal.

The club is taking over the Teen Club (Connecting with community, Living positively, Uniting together, and Believing in a great future) and all other programming at the Lawrence Irvin Neighborhood Center on Bloomington’s west side.

Boys and Girls Club CEO Tony Morstatter said the club had partnered with Western Avenue Community Center last year, but it makes for the Boys and Girls Club to run the program that helps youth ages 11 to 18.

“Through this collaboration, what we found was that serving the teens in the community aligns more with our mission and it’s just a natural transition,” Morstatter said.

The Boards of Directors for both organizations have approved the move.

“Boys & Girls Club of Bloomington-Normal respects the impact and significance of LINC for youth and teens in our community,” said Rex Schaeffer, Boys & Girls Club board president. “The mission of the center aligns with the club’s purpose of empowering young people to reach their full potential as productive, caring responsible citizens. Our focus forward for the center is to leverage our organizational strengths to enrich teen engagement and advocacy through existing and new operational programming.”

The Irvin Center, in the building that adjoins the Boys & Girls Club, also offers mentoring programs and basketball leagues. It’s been funded by both groups, along with the City of Bloomington, the Town of Normal and United Way of McLean County.

Eric Stock can be reached at [email protected].

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