Brownwood families will have a new reason to visit the Boys & Girls Club of Brown County on Wednesday, Nov. 18, when the organization holds the grand opening of its newly renovated Panda Cares Center of Hope. The event is scheduled from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m.
Katherine Palmer, CEO of the Boys & Girls Club of Brown County, shared details about the opening during the Brownwood City Council’s Tuesday meeting. The center is designed to expand the club’s education-focused programming and give children and teens additional spaces for technology, homework, science, technology, engineering and mathematics activities, and reading.
New spaces focus on learning and study
The Panda Cares Center of Hope houses the club’s technology lab and homework area. The renovation also added a STEM lab and a dedicated reading area, creating a multifunctional space intended to support the organization’s educational initiatives.
The project was made possible through a partnership and funding opportunity with Panda Express. According to the club, the support helped address floor-plan limitations that had reduced usable square footage. It also provided new furniture designed for educational settings, including lab tables, modular seating, wobble stools and individual study carrels.
Those changes are intended to give club members more flexible places to complete schoolwork, participate in hands-on learning and use the club’s educational programs. The renovated space adds to a broader series of facility improvements made by the organization in recent years.
Club has invested more than $300,000 since 2021
Since 2021, the Boys & Girls Club of Brown County has invested more than $300,000 in facility renovations. The organization said that amount represents more than half of its annual operating expenses.
Other improvements include a teaching kitchen, renovations to six HVAC units and the renovation of the former South Elementary gym. The gym now has air conditioning, according to information shared with the council.
The club operates as a place for local youth outside school hours. Palmer said the organization serves approximately 100 children and teens each day and reaches more than 300 individual children annually. Its programming includes activities intended to build financial literacy, emotional wellness, coping skills, teamwork and conflict resolution.
Support includes snacks and mentoring
The club also provides practical support for families. Last year, it served more than 17,000 free snacks to club members. The organization said the cost for a child to attend is less than 10% of what Brown County families pay on average for outside-of-school care.
Palmer also reported that 90% of the club’s children in Brownwood say they have a positive relationship with an adult mentor at the club. She described that relationship as an important protective factor as children navigate their lives.
Nationally, club members are more likely to graduate high school and volunteer in their communities than their peers, and less likely to engage in risky behaviors, according to the information presented. The Nov. 18 grand opening will introduce the renovated Center of Hope as the latest facility investment supporting that work in Brownwood.