Vestal B&GC expands infrastructure, services, programs, spirits
With many new development and redevelopment construction projects either ready to be launched or already underway, several news outlets have been reporting about an impending economic boom for South Knoxville. However, the biggest success story to arise from this section of the city has been operating in relative obscurity for decades in the heart of the Vestal community. Located at 522 Maryville Pike, the Vestal Boys & Girls Club may not be a traditional moneymaking enterprise, but it has enriched the lives of countless young people for more than 40 years.
And with the aid of a generous grant from the Aslan Foundation, the club recently was afforded the ability to upgrade its interior, increase its staffing and create an outdoor learning center. Improvements were made to the aging building, such as the demolition of a wobbly staircase and the addition of new appliances for the cafeteria and the pool areas.
In addition, new matching furniture was accrued, through a partnership with Contract Furniture Alliance and a new layout designed by The East TN Community Design Center. According to Club Director Kara Strouse (pictured above), these measures have helped to instill in club members a sense of pride.
“It’s easy to say, ‘Oh, this looks nice!’ But a large part of that is having the kids feel like they’re worth it to not have a hodge-podge collection of furniture,” she says.
With the school year having just ended and the hours of operation set to double (7:30 a.m.-6 p.m. as opposed to 2 p.m.-7 p.m.), the Vestal Club hired summer staff to supplement the pre-existing two lifeguards, full-time social worker (the only one in the Tennessee Valley BGC region), an education director, a Club FIT coordinator, a tutor coordinator and a tutor. The club is fully staffed and running more programing than it has ever been able to before. As a result, the club is seeing record numbers of summer attendance.
“We’re better staffed than we’ve ever been before,” Strouse says, adding, “We’re running out of space to do individual activities, which is, I think, the best problem you can have.”
Nationally, B&GC of America offer myriad educational programs in order to promote growth in five core areas: Character & Leadership Development, Education & Career Development, Health & Life Skills, the Arts & Sports and Fitness & Recreation. Regionally, B&GC of the Tennessee Valley feature more than 30 of these programs. Individual clubs also may introduce their own curricula based on the partnerships they have cultivated with local organizations and businesses.
For example, the Vestal location works with both Ijams Nature Center and The Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont in order to provide summer camping opportunities to its members. Other local entities with whom the club acts in conjunction include the Sierra Club, Joy of Music School and Kickstand Community Bike Shop. As Strouse points out, these relationships are vital in members’ establishing connections with their community and realizing their places therein.
“We are trying to teach them to be productive, responsible adults in any way that we can,” she says. “Whatever we can find to equip them with these skills, we try to find these resources, partner with them and make a lasting or at least an impactful partnership.”
Early this month, club attendees witnessed the unveiling of a completed Outdoor Learning Center on the grounds of the club, the completion of which was overseen by Strouse. It was her objective to change the members’ negative perception of the outdoors, instead hoping to foster in them an appreciation of nature.
“We’re doing so much great programming,” she explains, “We wanted the outside to reflect sort of what’s going on here.”
A playground, separated from trees by a chain-link fence and often infested with mosquitoes due to the improper grading of the field in which it sat, previously occupied these grounds. In order for the members to experience natural shading, the original fence was removed, a beautiful, natural, wooden fence was installed opposite the tree line and the field was leveled. In addition, drinking fountains and a performance stage, also shaded by trees, were installed.
In order to spark an interest about geology and to stage a learning opportunity for members with regard to Vestal’s rich mining history, marble was strategically laid around the area. Candoro provided the boulders, and the Tennessee Marble Company in Friendsville supplied the flagstones and pillars.
“Now all of a sudden, they have an interest in their neighborhood, they have a pride in their community,” Strouse says. “It’s really cool.”
The finished product, virtually unrecognizable from how it had looked before, also features four rather large raised-bed gardens which complement the smaller ones that line the sidewalks by the entrance. While certainly in keeping with the existing B&GC commitment to promoting Health & Life Skills, the abundance of organically grown fruits and vegetables at the Vestal location can be attributed to Strouse, as well.
Dismayed by the unhealthy eating habits of members and staff alike upon first joining B&GC of Vestal, she met with parents before initiating a policy in which outside food was virtually eliminated. The idea was at first met with a fair amount of resistance, but members gradually found the healthy alternatives which replaced the junk food to be more and more palatable. The filling, nutritional meals served daily helped smooth the transition, as have cooking classes, which have become so popular as to have necessitated multiple sessions.
Vestal members range in age from kindergarten through 8th grade. Average attendance hovers around 130 but has peaked at 160. Currently, the location serves South-Doyle Middle School and four elementary schools (South Knoxville, Dogwood, Mooreland Heights, Mount Olive) with Strouse hoping to add a fifth (Bonny Kate).
She considers the club to be an integral part of the community, mainly because of its longevity.
“We have parents who come in and tell us how happy they are to have us available to them, how glad they are that their kids can come,” Strouse says. “It’s awe-inspiring to have multiple generations of a family come back to you.”
More information about this club and others in the East Tennessee area can be found at https://www.bgctnv.org/
Donations can also be made on that page.
