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Midvale Journal

Midvale Boys & Girls Club gets a $20,000 makeover, courtesy of Aaron’s.

May 29, 2022 01:58PM ● By Peri Kinder

By Peri Kinder | [email protected]

The chances were slim, but when Aaron’s announced the winner of the $20,000 teen center makeover, the Midvale Boys & Girls Club came out on top.

“Out of hundreds of submissions, we were chosen,” said Jaimie Dunn, director of operations for Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Salt Lake. “Not only did the team do the work to win, Aaron’s included them in the entire project.”

Aaron’s has been the leader in lease-to-own furniture and appliances since 1955. Through a partnership with Boys & Girls Clubs of America, the company surprises clubs around the country with updated rec rooms, gaming areas and homework stations.

Associates from Aaron’s meet with teens and leaders in brainstorming sessions to discuss how the room can best serve members of the club. After five months of planning, the 24-hour renovation was completed in May and unveiled to the teens in a surprise reveal May 17.

The space includes several Playstation 5s, three 50-inch TVs for gaming, a Nintendo Switch, new couches, a 75-inch TV, a ping pong table, gaming chairs, air hockey, pool table, board games and a homework area.

“It’s really exciting,” said Midvale Boys & Girls Club Director Presley Austin. “I think it’s incredible and the kids are sure to love it. I feel like it’s something our kids deserve. It’s been a long time since we’ve been able to do anything like this. The teens helped come up with all the ideas.”

Midvale Boys & Girls Club Keystone President Yoaltici Espericueta, 16, is a student at Hillcrest High School and has been coming to the club for five years. She and others on the team worked with Aaron’s to create a vision for the updated space.

“We’ve never done a renovation here and we’ve never changed anything, except I think we moved the couches once,” she said.

Midvale Boys & Girls Club (7631 S. Chapel St.) hosts 40-50 students every day after school during the school year and many more in the summertime. Programs are available for kids from first to 12th grade and costs only $20 for the school or the summer program.

 

This renovation is number 55 for Aaron’s. Its mission is to provide healthy, safe environments for teens so they can thrive in the community and bring awareness to the club and its programs.

“We believe strongly in equipping our future leaders with the tools they need to succeed, and our partnership with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America gives us a tremendous opportunity to impact youth in a meaningful way,” said Joe Villasenor, Aaron's regional manager for Utah. “On a local level, it was an honor for me and my team of eight employees, all of whom work in the greater Salt Lake area, to make the refresh a reality for the teens at the Midvale Boys & Girls Club. Nothing beats the smiles on their faces when they see their new space and knowing how much they'll thrive in their new teen center.”

For more information about Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Salt Lake, visit gslclubs.org.

“It’s nice for the teens to have something to be really excited about,” Dunn said. “We want to provide the best club with something that’s fun and a vibrant place to be.”