DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) - The mission of the Boys and Girls Club is to invest in the youth so that they may have a brighter future.
At Tuesday's Fall Festival, the organization was granted a large donation to do just that, invest in the youth's futures.
"There is nothing more important in a community than to invest in your youth," Howard Buffett said at the event. "All you got to do is put it in front of them and give them an opportunity, and this is a place where that happens."
The Howard G. Buffett Foundation graciously donated $710,000 to the organization. That money will be used for new floors, air conditioning, new vans, and a brand new teen center, which they broke ground on at the festival.
Bruce Jeffery, the Boys and Girls Club of Decatur Executive Director says, "Teens will have a designated area that they can call their own. That was the biggest thing we wanted to do, so we could have 13 to 18 year olds to have something to where they didn't have to be in there with the little kids, so that's where we came up with the idea."
Alleria Lavender is a 10th grader at MacArthur High School and has been a member of the club since the summer. She says it is a great place to come and have fun but also learn. She says she is excited for the new facility and is thankful for the donation.
The new teen center will increase capacity by 100 kids. The current facility holds 160 children, and the new center will be big enough for 100 teens to partake in programs offered.
The festival consisted of two hours of family-fun activities as well as a chance for kids to interact with police. With a heavy police presence, kids were able to meet and talk with officers.
Decatur Police Chief Jim Getz says, "They got to understand the police are here to help them, so if they're ever in trouble instead of running away from the police or not being confident enough to go to the police, we're trying to build that confidence for them to do that."
The Decatur Police Department also announced their new program with the organization called Cops and Gobblers. On December 21, the police will hand out 1,000 turkeys to families in need as well as 1,000 $25 gift cards. They hope to have this event every year.
