Page 20 - BGC prototype

Building a Legacy A big dream for Dorchester’s youth Boys & Girls Clubs of Dorchester is looking to transform how the club serves Dorchester and surrounding neighborhoods with indoor and outdoor facilities that will foster a new level of community engagement. Over the next few years, in conjunction with the Martin Richard Foundation and with the support of the City of Boston, BGCD will take the lead in bringing this dream to life. The club will partner with visionary supporters to imagine a network of vibrant community meeting places that bring Dorchester’s fragmented neighborhoods and families together, and serve an ever-expanding youth population as the city enters a period of growth and development. Martin Richard Dorchester Field House Indoor field sports facilities are springing up all over the suburbs, but there is no such place accessible to Dorchester youth or to any young people in Boston. Five months of winter and frequent poor field conditions in late fall and early spring, sideline city kids from many sports for nearly half a year. The community also has no fully accessible venues for disabled athletes – a barrier that undermines many in pursuing physical fitness and athletic achievement. To meet this need in the city, BGCD and the Martin Richard Foundation plan to build and operate a 31,000-square-foot indoor sports facility and outdoor multi-purpose field within the Dorchester community. It will be named the Martin Richard Dorchester Field House. Managed by BGCD, it will be free to members and made available, at nominal cost, to youth, families and seniors throughout Boston. The field house design will support youth with physical or intellectual disabilities to perform to their full potential. fffff18