There were plenty of announcements and surprises at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeastern Michigan’s (BGCSM) annual Friendship Club Reimagine Showcase, sponsored by Amerisure. Dick and Sandy Dauch Club kids, their parents, community members, business leaders, and partners gathered to support the BGCSM and its new “Reimagine” campaign.
The Friendship Club Reimagine event showcased BGCSM’s 93 years of impact across Southeastern Michigan and its reimagined vision for the future. It also displayed the extraordinary work of BGCSM and its members in an effort to reimagine their clubs.
BGCSM received $425,000 in pledges and donations at the event, with contributions coming from Phil Cooley, co-owner of Slows BBQ and Ponyride ($100,000), Myra Anderson of the Sean Anderson Foundation ($100,000), United Way of Southeastern Michigan ($150,000), and $75,000 from Friendship Club luncheon donations.
“We are grateful for all our supporters, including Amerisure, United Way of Southeastern Michigan, and social entrepreneurs Sean Anderson and Phil Cooley who have invested to help reimagine our clubs in order to keep up with the demand in our communities,” said Shawn H. Wilson, President and CEO of BGCSM. “We aim to empower our members to become change agents in their own lives, clubs, and communities.”
A new adult membership pilot was also unveiled at the Friendship Club Reimagine Showcase. The new adult membership offering will welcome adults in the community by providing a co-working, incubator space, and other club amenities to local entrepreneurs and small businesses. It is the first of its kind across Boys & Girls Clubs around the country.
“We are committed to becoming both a youth and community development organization,” Wilson added. “In order to truly serve our youth effectively, we must help drive economic mobility opportunities for their families and community.”
The newly revamped Dauch Club will feature co-working, gaming, and community spaces, laundromat, barber salon and self-care areas, a gym, and a music studio provided by rapper and Detroit native Big Sean.
“I’m excited to collaborate with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeastern Michigan to launch the Sean Anderson Foundation Content and Production Studio,” said Big Sean, founder of the Sean Anderson Foundation. “We want to empower communities to explore careers in and launch businesses in the entertainment industry. My moonshot is to provide a space where the next Motown could be created in a neighborhood, just like the original.”
Pre-registration for adult memberships is available on BGCSM’s website and includes access to Ponyride co-working center, the Dauch Club basketball court, fitness classes, and the Sean Anderson fully-equipped content and production studio.
Hiram Jackson, Board President of BCGSM, praised the idea of adding adult memberships. He grew up in the Boys & Girls Clubs as a child in Highland Park.
“This is not just about a place for kids. This is about treating the whole family,” said Jackson. “We want parents to be able to come here and work on their startup businesses, while having their children in the next working on homework on in the new music studio.”
With over 125,000 square feet of programming space on 12 acres of land and 250,000 youth living within a 5-mile radius of clubs, BGCSM is positioned to drive both youth and community development in neighborhoods across Southeastern Michigan.
