Recently, Toptech Systems was proud to partner with the local Boys & Girls Club to remodel their teen space. Teens are the smallest demographic for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Florida (BGCCF), yet their teens consistently have higher rates of high school graduation and college or military enrollment after high school. In partnership with the IDEX Foundation (the charitable giving arm of IDEX Corporation), Toptech was able to provide brand new games, equipment, furniture, and décor just before the holidays.
A couple years ago, Toptech assisted in opening the new Oviedo BGCCF. Through the IDEX Foundation, Toptech donated and helped install all the technology for the Club, which included 15 computers, two 65” TVs and one 55” TV. Additionally, the Toptech team worked with the kids to install a vegetable garden, which they still enjoy. So, it was great to continue that work with a space that would be more engaging for the Oviedo teens. After working with the site director, Toptech realized there were several key things that needed to be changed.
- The walls were painted a pastel color that worked better for younger kids. Plus, the décor was not inspiring.
- Some of the furniture was mismatched, worn, and damaged.
- There was no sink outside of the restrooms. The Clubs provide a snack to the children every day after school. In addition, the Club serves meals during school breaks when the kids are present from morning to evening. Serving food to the kids was more difficult without a sink.
- The Club’s activities catered to elementary school kids and didn’t offer enough to engage the older kids.
The Toptech team was thrilled to be able to create a space that would inspire more teens to participate and be a part of the excellent Boys and Girls Club program. After some discussion, a plan was developed to completely surprise the teens with the makeover. Aside from the new sink, which was installed a couple weeks before the makeover, they had no idea what would change in their space.
On Friday, December 1st, they left the Club with suspense. On Saturday, December 2nd, the space was professionally painted a vibrant blue. Then, on Monday, December 4th, the Toptech team got to work. Immediately, the team began removing old furniture, assembling new furniture, and installing cool LED light strips around the perimeter. Once the furniture was complete, they set up new podcast equipment, VR headsets, a 3D printer, a stand-up arcade game, speakers, and a heat press. They finished by placing décor around the room, including flags representing US colleges and universities.
The Toptech team managed to complete the makeover about two hours before the kids began to arrive. The teens were pleasantly surprised when they entered and thrilled about the new color and equipment. They looked around as the Toptech team served them a barbeque dinner. Of course, the VR headsets and arcade were the biggest hits and will help to keep them engaged and increase their numbers in the program. However, the teens will also be able to practice their communication skills through the podcast equipment; learn new skills and stretch their creativity with the heat press; and explore technology and complete fun projects with the 3D printer.
Toptech Systems is proud to have been a part of providing these building blocks for a brighter future and looks forward to even more partnership with the BGCCF in 2024.
