A flock of St. Ignatius Elementary students were among the first visitors at the community’s new Boys &d Girls Club, located in the former Mission Lumber building on Blaine St., just a block from the school.

The center offered snacks and tours during its open house Dec. 8, and formally opened its doors Dec. 12 with an array of after-school programs for kids in grades 1-5.

Aric Cooksley, executive director of the Boys and Girls Club of the Flathead Reservation and Lake County, credits strong community support with helping to transform the former Mission Lumber building into a bright, welcoming space for local youngsters.

Bruce Papenfuss owned Mission Lumber for several decades – even rebuilding it after a fire in 1979 – until the family sold it in 1994. According to Cooksley, it has since been home to a teen center and karate and jujitsu studios.

The city, which had assumed ownership of the building, “was basically able to sell it to us for what they had in it” and an anonymous donor agreed to fund renovation costs.

Inside, the center has a large room that can be divided by a soundproof curtain to facilitate a range of activities, a spacious kitchen for food preparation and cooking classes, a cafeteria-style room that can also be used for activities, a computer lab, a cozy “quiet room,” designed to help calm and redirect kids, and restrooms.

The Boys & Girls Club of the Flathead Reservation and Lake County was first established in 1999 in Ronan, where it now occupies the renovated Total Home furniture store. A new Polson club was completed in 2020, and the organization began offering classes and activities at St. Ignatius schools in 2021.

Director of operations Amy Vaughan says she’s surprised at how quickly the Mission club morphed from in-school offerings to having its own building.

“Was this what we anticipated? Not at all,” she said, gazing around at their new digs, which still smelled of fresh paint.

The organization signed paperwork for the property in mid-August. “The next day, our entire team was up on the roof re-screwing the metal in,” says Vaughan. “To think it was a demolished mess not even three months ago – you can’t even get a house remodeled in three months, let alone a project like this.”

“The cool thing about this team is there is no job that people aren’t willing to do,” she adds.

Vaughan volunteered with the Boys & Girls Club for 12 years before hiring on six years ago.

“As an employee I’ve never known this organization to not to be in an expansion mode,” she says.

The club first began to offer after-school programs in St. Ignatius last September, and worked closely with the schools, serving younger students at the elementary building and older kids at a new Teen Center, adjacent to the high school shop. They had committed to staying with the project for at least two years to gauge community support and answer the question: “If we are going to be a permanent fixture here, where are we going to go, where can we get close to the school that’s affordable?”

The answer is remarkable even to Vaughan, who lives in St. Ignatius (as does unit director Sheena Burckhard). Efforts to remodel the aging building were largely accomplished by the community and the organization, working together.

“Aric has a background in construction and you don’t get very far telling him no,” says Vaughan. “He just really tries to figure out how we’re going to make something happen.” There was no general contractor, she says, “and a ton of people in the community” helped out.

One man arrived early on, and said, “I see this is happening. What can I do to help?”

Vaughan says the Boys and Girls Club ended up hiring him “and he was here until 11 o’clock with us last night trying to get this finished up and back at 7:45 this morning.”

“Everyone pitches in and sees that bigger picture of what we’re trying to do,” she adds.

That bigger picture is developing a Boys & Girls Club in every community on the reservation that wants one.

“We don’t force it,” Vaughan says. “You really need a community to own its own club.”

Judging by the excitement of last week’s young visitors, Mission is well on its way to owning theirs.

“I’m glad the kids are going to have this space and I hope this solidifies for the community that we want to be here, that we want to be part of the fabric of this community,” says Vaughan.

Between the two centers, the local club has six employees and serves up to 25 kids a day. “We anticipate growing as we move forward,” says Cooksley.

To volunteer, register a youngster or learn more, call 406-744-2100 or visit www.flatheadbgc.org.