Oct. 1, 2026
Cindy Platt Boys & Girls Club of Transylvania County
Information provided by The Cindy Platt Boys & Girls Club of Transylvania County
Construction of the Sykes Family Teen Center at The Cindy Platt Boys & Girls Club of Transylvania County off Gallimore Road is scheduled to be completed by the summer of 2027 when the new 7,000 square-foot structure will open with four classrooms, two lounge spaces and a covered walkway leading back to the main clubhouse from a new outdoor recreation space.
But before insulation and drywall could be installed inside the new building, a small group of dedicated supporters recently gathered at the construction site to leave something lasting behind.
Donors with permanent markers wrote messages of encouragement, hope, and belief directly onto the wood frame of the building intended for the teens who will one day learn, connect, dream, and grow within those walls.
“It was incredibly meaningful for them to write a message to a young person they may never meet, knowing that their words will remain here for generations,” said local Boys & Girls Club CEO Jamie Atkinson in a news release. “I hope every teen who comes into this building will truly feel how much their community believes in them.”
Building this expansion was necessary as 280 students use the facilities each day during the school year and there is a growing waiting list with even more students ready for their memberships to begin.
Members of the construction crews also left something meaningful behind: B&G Club members’ handmade cards of gratitude for the crews’ hard work this summer.
All these messages will remain hidden behind the finished walls as a permanent reminder that long before they walked through the doors, their community was thinking about them, cheering them on, and believing in their future.
For more about The Cindy Platt Boys & Girls Club of Transylvania County, visit www.bgctransylvania.org.