Roseland Groundbreaking Celebration
On April 8th the Boys & Girls Clubs of Sonoma-Marin celebrated the groundbreaking of Roseland’s first Youth Center. The celebration took place at the construction site where the 25,000 square foot Community Hub will be located, 929 Sebastopol Rd.
Boys & Girls Clubs has been serving thousands of Roseland youth for over a decade, but always in shared and limited space. “Roseland kids need a space of their own to ignite their potential and inspire their futures,” said CEO Jennifer Weiss. “After 14 years we finally found and secured the land and broke ground, it is happening!”
The long-awaited $17 million project was launched in 2019 when Boys & Girls Clubs was selected by Sonoma County Vintners to receive a $1,450,000 grant. Weiss then convinced the seller to part with a piece of land directly across from Roseland Elementary School. Since then, the project has taken off and gained support from community members Cindy & Bill Gallaher and even global philanthropist MacKenzie Scott.
“This new Clubhouse will benefit the entire Roseland Community,” said Diego Leon, Club Alumni. “As a former foster care youth, the odds of a great future were against me. Boys & Girls Club provided a safe space when I needed it most. Club gave me purpose and made sure I knew that I was more than just a court number. All kids deserve access to that kind of life-changing service. Especially my fellow Roseland kids.”
Boys & Girls Club is rallying the community to help raise the final seven million dollars to complete the project. “A Youth Center for Roseland is coming and by Spring of 2023 will impact a minimum of 2,500 families,” said CEO, Jennifer Weiss.
The groundbreaking celebration was sponsored by Poppy Bank and included moving speeches, performances from the Roseland Boys & Girls Clubs Ballet Folklorico group, cuisine from local food truck Tacos el Mantecas and dessert from the Roseland bakery Tai Maria.
