FORTVILLE, Ind. (WISH) — The Boys and Girls Club of Hancock County celebrates the opening of its newest location in Fortville on Wednesday afternoon.

The launch comes just in time for students in the area, as Mt. Vernon Community Schools return to class on Thursday. That’s also when the club will start its new after-school programming.

BGCHC Board member Joel Hungate says they’re excited about the expansion.

“Our motto, it’s ‘A club for every kid,’ this is the manifestation of that,” Hungate said. “It’s great for parents and families too as an excellent safe destination here in Fortville that the kids can go after school (and) know that they’re engaging in things that are going to give them those great futures.”

The new club is inside the Fortville Community Center, and offers the group a gym and a kitchen for programming.

BGCHC previously used the building, but there was not enough demand to keep it running in Fortville. The club says that’s now changed.

According to Chantel Fowler, chief executive officer of the nonprofit, Fortville is one of the fastest-growing communities in its service area.

“There was a need in Fortville to provide after-school programming for kids,” Fowler said. “That’s what we did. We took that opportunity and just kind of ran with it and it’s been a long time coming.”

The Fortville Club plans to offer programming for kids to work on life skills, and receive academic support and general enrichment.

As a kid, Board Member Mark Galbraith went to the Boys and Girls Club in Greenfield and later worked there as a teenager.

He says it’s great to see the program thrive in the county he grew up in.

“It gave me a lot of life skills from being kind to people to seeing that everybody is different,” Galbraith said. “ I was blessed with some athletic abilities. So playing sports was mine. But then I grew up with some of my best friends that were not good at sports. They liked other games, which that was fun.”

The nonprofit is focused on continuing the growth it’s seeing.

Board President Mark Rogers says the club looks to expand programming to New Palestine, as it’s the only school district in the county it doesn’t serve.

He adds the board would also like to set up an endowment, so eventually, kids would not have to pay to be a part of the club.

The group is also looking to grow its presence and offerings for teenagers.

“A lot of times the teens get overlooked,” Rogers said. “They’re out doing their own thing. But that’s an area we’d really like to grow in here in the future.”

Wednesday, club and community leaders will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the new space. Afterward, residents can take a peek, see the new club and meet the staff.

The grand opening of the new Fortville Boys and Girls Club is Wednesday at 2 p.m.