The Boys and Girls Club of Palm Springs Saturday will celebrate the grand opening of its Health and Wellness Center, the first-of-its-kind resource available to youth in the Coachella Valley.
The free event will get underway at 9:30 a.m. Saturday in the club’s new center located at 450 South Sunrise Way, according to a statement from the Boys and Girls Club of Palm Springs. Attendees must register at bgcps.org/grandopening.
Club officials said the festivities will feature former NBA and UCLA guard Pooh Richardson, former NFL player Jonathan Ingram, breakfast, lunch, tours, activities, prizes, a parent session about cannabis usage among teens, and remarks from Palm Springs Mayor Grace Garner, Councilwoman Lisa Middleton and club board president Geoff Kors.
“We know more resources are needed to educate parents and youth on how early cannabis use can lead to severe cognitive consequences in young brains, and this Center will help provide this education along with other programming focused on health and wellness for our Valley’s youth,” said the club’s executive director Margaret Keung in a statement.
She added that the legalization of cannabis has made the drug more accessible and attractive to teens.
Funding for the center was provided by a California Board of State and Community Corrections grant of $1 million, club officials said.
An additional grant of $3 million over a five-year period was awarded last week by the board, which will allow the club to serve more people during weekends and nights through expanded hours. It will also help fund a sprinter van to help the club with transportation, which officials say is a big need.
Club officials said the center will be a place where students can partake in activities, educational programs and youth-led projects to help them make healthy choices, learn about the effects of cannabis, develop leadership skills, or just sit in its quiet reading nook.