ALPENA — The Boys and Girls Club of Alpena received a donation of $75,000 from a local family to help fund their capital campaign.

The club has managed to raise $50,000 to match a previous donation of $50,000.

The latest donation will assist with the costs related to the club’s new building on Miller Street. The new building has been in the works for several years now and is almost complete. The club hopes to move to the new location by summer.

“We received our first donation for the new building in 2017,” club board member Jennifer Calery said. “All of this, the new building is 100% about our kids.”

A pizza party was held Tuesday at the current building to celebrate the big announcement. Jon Benson, owner of JJ’s Steak and Pizza House, donated the pizzas to the organization for the celebration.

The new club will feature a much larger area for teens, which will allow them to enjoy some distance from the smaller children. Also it will feature a large kitchen where meals for the kids will be cooked and classes will be held for the kids to learn to do some basic cooking, themselves.

“It is going to provide first-class educational opportunities, recreational opportunities, a culinary kitchen, and many other things,” Calery said.

A groundbreaking ceremony for the new location of the Boys and Girls Club of Alpena took place in February 2022 at the old Alpena Community College East Campus building at 801 W. Miller Street.

Since then, the club has seen donations of all shapes and sizes to them one step closer to the goal.

Brad Somers, the club’s executive director, said donations can be made online through the Community Foundation for Northeast Michigan at bgcalpena.org. Click on the capital campaign donation tab.

The club is also accepting dropoff donations at the current club on River Street.

Calery said people and businesses can also get their name on the donor wall that will be at the new club and there are other sponsor opportunities. She said to contact the club at 989-356-0124 for more information.