Lois Wray and Boys & Girls Clubs of Western Nevada CEO Brett Zunino stand in front of the sign of Minden’s new clubhouse The Wray Family Boys & Girls Club of Western Nevada during the unveiling May 16.
The May 16 unveiling of a Boys & Girls clubhouse on Ironwood Drive in Minden is the first step in a three-phase project the Club plans for Carson Valley by the end of 2025.
“It’s truly a watershed moment for our community and for the clubs,” said Boys & Girls Clubs of Western Nevada CEO Brett Zunino. “I believe this facility could be the flagship for all the Boys & Girls Clubs in Nevada. It’s certainly one of the most beautiful.”
The clubhouse was named The Wray Family Boys & Girls Clubs of Western Nevada to pay homage to Lois Wray, who donated the building at 990 Ironwood Drive.
“I would like to thank Lois and her family for their lavish generosity,” said Zunino. “We are grateful for this incredible facility, and we are excited about the impact it will have on our community,”
Zunino said the new building will allow the Boys & Girls Club to serve around 350 members from infants to teens and will offer an after school program, a teen program, a daycare & preschool center and will staff up to 27 employees.
“You can say we will be serving kids, diapers to diplomas,” said Zunino.
Construction will begin in early summer and is expected to open its doors in August, which will include a library, learning center, a game room, a STEM center, a teen center, and an outdoor area.
Zunino said the budget for the remodel phase is nearly $1.3 million.
“We are in a generosity initiative that is appropriately titled ‘One Community, Infinite Possibilities,’ and I believe that there is nothing we can’t accomplish, including raising $1.3 million to finish phase 1,” he said.
Zunino said that will bring the building up to par with all new mechanical and electrical safety features, new flooring, and a complete makeover for the programs, including new bathrooms, new commercial grade appliances and all the program equipment in each room. It will also help to build an outdoor area with new playground equipment, and some minor parking modification to improve traffic flow.
Zunino said some donations have been made in support of the project, including $100,00 from Western Nevada Supply and $150,000 from Carson Valley Health.
“Working with our Nevada Alliance, we also successfully secured $800,000 in ARPA dollars from the Governor’s office,” said Zunino. “All of this will make this initial phase 1 lift much easier.”
Phase two is to completely modify the parking lot in preparation for a new gym, which is phase three.
The gym will be similar to the Carson City MAC Center at the Carson City club on Russell Way and will include an enclosed catwalk from the Wray Family Clubhouse to the gym. Which will cost roughly $4 million.
“Together these three phases will complete our community hub that we would like to have complete by the end of next year,” said Zunino.
At the May 16 unveiling event, Zunino said at least $200,000 is still needed to complete phase one, so the clubhouse can begin serving the community by Aug. 19.
He thanked the community who came out during the unveiling and thanked those who contributed their generosity.
“I want to encourage all of us as it’s taken a long time to get here, don’t let up on the gas,” he said. “Keep digging, so we can finish what we started so many years ago.”
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Western Nevada opened in 1993 and has since expanded to three locations in Carson City, Minden and Gardnerville serving more than 1,500 members.
An effort to establish a separate clubhouse in Carson Valley has been ongoing for nearly 20 years.
Visit www.bgcwn.org for more information and visit https://bgcwn.org/onecommunity/ for more information about the Boys & Girls Clubs of Western Nevada’s upcoming projects including the Wary Family Boys & Girls Clubs of Western Nevada Clubhouse and to make a donation.
