Texas’ Oldest Club Location Gets Renovated Space for Youth Mentoring and Education
Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Tarrant County (BGCGTC) cut the ribbon on its third Panda Cares Center of Hope, a space created to provide the resources and support students need to develop academic and life skills for a brighter future. The $45,000 renovation at BGCGTC’s Panther branch in Fort Worth was funded by the Panda Cares Foundation, a BGCGTC partner since 2019. The newly renovated space within BGCGTC’s oldest branch will provide a designated place for mentoring, education, and critical social-emotional development for Club members.
Panda Cares Center of Hope offers a refreshed space with new furnishings and a fresh paint job — and a place where youth can access affordable, high-quality after-school programs with trusted and caring mentors. Sound-reducing wall and ceiling panels ensure that members have quiet spaces to work on homework or decompress from the school day. New, flexible seating also creates a more comfortable learning environment where Club members can work on their homework and collaborate with their peers. Each Center of Hope practices Project Learn, a holistic strategy to support youth-centered learning in Clubs. The strategy reinforces and enhances what young people learn during the school day through homework support and high-yield learning activities.
The BGCGTC Panther branch is the oldest Boys & Girls Club in Texas, established in 1926. The building has dedicated space for education, social recreation, art, teens, dining, kitchen, gym, a full-size pool with locker rooms, attic storage, playground, and office space for additional programs. Portions of the building are historically protected. A repository of historic documents about this branch’s history is kept at the City of Fort Worth Library.
Established in 1999, Panda Cares is the philanthropic arm of Panda Restaurant Group. Each Panda Cares Center of Hope serves thousands of BGCGTC members, ages 6 to 18, during after-school and summer programming.
Source: press release
