Boys & Girls Club in Sherman Park reopens after renovations

Seventeen-year-old E'Zohn Gathings said she wouldn't be the person she is today without the Boys & Girls Club in Sherman Park.

"I have so many people who have taught me so many things," she said. "They taught me how to hold myself as a young lady, and how to make sure I keep my head up even when things get me down. They've also taught me how to stay out of trouble."

Gathings and other children and their families joined community leaders Wednesday for a ceremony celebrating the reopening of the Mary Ryan Boys & Girls Club in Sherman Park. The club closed at the end of August and is reopening after six months of major renovations to the 25-year-old building.

The building now has new paint, new floors, new lighting, a new computer lab, new foosball, air hockey, pingpong and pool tables, new furniture and a new heating and air conditioning system. There is also a new career development space, including a teen job center. Each of the spaces for different age groups, ranging from the 5- to 6-year-old "mini-pals" to the 13- to 18-year-olds, was also renovated.

Vincent Lyles, president and CEO of the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Milwaukee, said there are plans for a new teen center after the violent unrest in the neighborhood last summer.

"All of us were aware of what happened last summer, and so part of that is our teens in the community felt very frustrated, so we at the Boys & Girls Club said, 'What are we going to do about that?' '' he said. "As you see this beautiful space, our teens are certainly welcome to come in. We're going to do something more special for them later this year. We've got a teen center planned and spaced out and we're really excited about that."

In the wake of the unrest, some criticized the club for the timing of its closure.

But Mayor Tom Barrett noted that renovation plans were in place before the unrest, adding that he was happy it would be open for this summer.

"The Boys & Girls Club is such a powerful and positive influence on the community," Barrett said.

Police Chief Edward Flynn praised the club as a safe place for teens to gather.

"It may be the most accessible program out there reaching kids from all over the city," Flynn said.

"They need safe places, they need safe spaces, they need places where it's OK to do your homework, where it's OK to play basketball and foul somebody and not worry about a street fight or someone pulling a gun," he said.

Ald. Khalif Rainey, who represents the neighborhood on the Common Council, said he was one of those kids who grew up going to the club.

"The absence of the Boys & Girls Club while it was closed was definitely felt throughout the Sherman Park neighborhood," he said.

Gathings said she had been looking forward to the club's reopening because it's a safe and supportive place for children and teens.

"It's really a safe and helpful environment," she said. "Some people come here if they don't feel welcome or safe at home. They come here to be welcome and safe, have friends, have a couple of people teach them right from wrong."

Ashley Luthern of the Journal Sentinel staff contributed to this report.