Log in

Multi-media center opens at Boys & Girls Club branch

Posted 11/17/15

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale McKee Branch hosted a special event Nov. 5 to introduce the community to its latest addition to the facility, the Lovell Stratton Multimedia …

You must be a member to read this story.

Join our family of readers for as little as $5 per month and support local, unbiased journalism.


Already have an account? Log in to continue.

Current print subscribers can create a free account by clicking here

Otherwise, follow the link below to join.

To Our Valued Readers –

Visitors to our website will be limited to five stories per month unless they opt to subscribe. The five stories do not include our exclusive content written by our journalists.

For $6.99, less than 20 cents a day, digital subscribers will receive unlimited access to YourValley.net, including exclusive content from our newsroom and access to our Daily Independent e-edition.

Our commitment to balanced, fair reporting and local coverage provides insight and perspective not found anywhere else.

Your financial commitment will help to preserve the kind of honest journalism produced by our reporters and editors. We trust you agree that independent journalism is an essential component of our democracy. Please click here to subscribe.

Sincerely,
Charlene Bisson, Publisher, Independent Newsmedia

Please log in to continue

Log in
I am anchor

Multi-media center opens at Boys & Girls Club branch

Posted

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale McKee Branch hosted a special event Nov. 5 to introduce the community to its latest addition to the facility, the Lovell Stratton Multimedia Center.

Hosted out of the McKee Branch Teen Center in Fountain Hills, organizers welcomed members of the community for the special unveiling, with guest speakers including Branch Director Justin Duran, Mayor Linda Kavanagh, the McKee family, as well as members of the families the facility was being named in honor of, the Lovells and the Strattons.

The Multimedia Center boasts a number of opportunities for local youths and community members to take advantage of, including a drum kit, several guitars, a voice recording area and a professional sound board.

A “green screen” can be used for video productions as well.

According to Duran, the Stratton Lovell Multimedia Center has been a long time coming, but it’s been worth the wait.

“We announced the project in January of this year,” Duran said.

Duran said the McKees were on the lookout for a project to gift to the local club and, working with Boys & Girls Club representatives, decided that a multimedia center would be a solid choice.

Duran said the original plan was to bring in all of the equipment and get rolling, but he quickly discovered there was more to creating a multimedia center than you might expect.

“We got a little more insight and learned that we needed to do some installation to the walls to soundproof them, we needed to remove some doors, we were told we had to raise the ceiling and things like that,” he continued.

“We went round and round for months and finally I made the decision that we weren’t going to raise the ceiling or get to the point where we were trying to create a Grammy award-winning studio.

“We wanted to make something that was state-of-the-art and would afford kids opportunities they didn’t already have, so that’s what we worked toward.”

They did soundproof the walls and ceiling, though, as well as make some other modification to the room before adding all of the new equipment.

“That process took maybe a little less than six weeks, at which point we were able to go out and purchase all of the equipment and get it fixed up for actual use,” Duran said.

“All in all, this ended up being about a $63,000 project.”

As for the Multimedia Center’s namesakes, Duran said they were carefully selected.

The Lovell family, who has strong ties with the local branch, lost a member who had a deep love for music.

The Strattons are also deeply involved with the Boys & Girls Club, and the McKees saw this as a way to provide recognition for that.

“It was quite the process and I was happy we were able to get it done for the families and the McKees, who have always been supporters of the club,” Duran added.

“It was definitely nice to finally be able to open it, see everyone’s reactions and see that we accomplished what we set out to do.”

Duran said club members are already utilizing the facilities, which will also be used to help the local branch put together entries for various competitions, personal projects for members and more.

“I think it’s going to be great,” Duran said.

“And the space is open to the entire community, for those who would like to use it. It was built for the community to use, so we’re excited for that. We’re tucked away a little bit, so it’s nice to have another reason for community members to stop by and take advantage of the opportunities we offer here.”

Duran said that the multimedia center gives the local branch access to cutting edge technology that youngsters aren’t used to having access to, which can only help them prepare for their futures.

“We need to make sure we’re accommodating our customers; that includes our parents and our kids,” Duran said.

“We have to be able to offer opportunities you couldn’t have just going home and sitting in front of your computer.

“If we’re harnessing their skills and educating them in the correct way, you can really come up with some cool stuff. That’s a great outlet for their talents and it is going to be exciting to see what everyone creates.”