The Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Southwest Michigan are celebrating the opening of their new Best Buy Teen Tech Center, powered by the Whirlpool Foundation.
The grand opening was held Monday night after a soft launch back in June. Boys and Girls Clubs Vice President of Marketing Sherri Ulleg tells us the center is located in the Joel E. Smilow Teen Center on West Empire Avenue. Students were on hand Monday to show off some of the things available.
“There are so many things to help kids discover and build careers,” Ulleg said. “So we have a photography center, a recording studio, a videography area, coatings. There’s a 3D printer, sublimation, and heat press material.”
Ulleg says those in attendance heard from one student who’s used the center to start a new branding business. They also heard from a budding photographer who used its resources to learn the art.
The center now occupies one floor of the teen center.
“We did a full renovation of our teen center. The lower level, the full lower level, is now the Best Buy Teen Tech Center powered by Whirlpool Foundation.”
Ulleg says the Best Buy Teen Tech Center provides access to cutting-edge technology and mentorship in music production, photography, esports, coding, and more. It was made possible through the support of the Whirlpool Foundation and the Best Buy Foundation, which is also providing technology expertise.
Now that the center is fully open, the Boys and Girls Clubs plan to work with surrounding school districts to make it available to their students.
