Palm Springs Boys and Girls Club opening Health & Wellness Center
Contractors and employees of the Boys & Girls Club in Palm Springs are busy putting some finishing touches on renovations to the facility, located on Sunrise Way.
Ahead of the grand opening this Saturday, News Channel 3 got an exclusive sneak peek of the facility.
The event will feature food and fun but aims to showcase the new Health & Wellness Center. It's described by organizers as "a welcoming place where students can enjoy activities and educational programs on topics such as making healthy choices, how cannabis use affects the growing mind/body, and more." Among the planned activities are "to incorporate youth-led projects to develop leadership skills, learn how to create healthy foods and snacks in the Center’s demonstration kitchen or sit in the quiet reading nook checking out materials in the resource library."
"Not only are we focused on the overall health and wellbeing of our young people, we have a room designated for cannabis education, with focus on prevention and referrals for intervention in cases of cannabis use in young people," said Margaret Keung, Executive Director of the Boys & Girls Club of Palm Springs
The plans for the center have been years in the making. A $1M California Board of State and Community Corrections Cohort 2 Proposition Health and Safety Grant Award was secured in January 2021 by the City of Palm Springs. A primary aim for the funding is to "address adolescent cannabis use and its effects on young brains and growing bodies."
“Although it remains illegal for minors, with the legalization of cannabis in California, cannabis products have become more accessible and attractive to teens,” said Keung in a statement provided to News Channel 3.
“We know more resources are needed to educate parents and youth on how early cannabis use can lead to severe cognitive consequences in young brains, and this Center will help provide this education along with other programming focused on health and wellness for our Valley’s youth.”
Margaret Keung, Executive Director of the Boys & Girls Club of Palm Springs
A parent session on Saturday will help provide tools to recognize signs of cannabis usage in teens and what to do if you discover your child is using cannabis.
You could also enter to win one of two Xboxes as well as meet former NBA star, Pooh Richardson and former Kansas City Chiefs offensive lineman, Johnathan Ingram.
News Channel 3 was there the weekend of April 22 as landscaping work was being completed at the front entrance, including the addition of new sprinkler lines and drought-resistant plants.
This Saturday, the club and City of Palm Springs are inviting you to the grand opening of a Health & Wellness Center. It's being called a first-of-its-kind resource available to Coachella Valley Youth.
- What: Kickoff event for City of Palm Springs and the Boys & Girls Club Health & Wellness Center
- When: The new Health & Wellness Center is located at the Boys & Girls Club, 450 South Sunrise Way in Palm Springs
- Where: 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 6, 2023
- To register: The event is free to the public but registration is required. To register, or to learn more, go to BGCPS.org.
This story has been updated.
