OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — On Wednesday, local teenagers of the Mount View Boys & Girls Club of the Midlands gasped in excitement when they were finally allowed into their newly revamped teen center. The $20,000 makeover was made possible by Aaron's, who worked with the club as it had with the 62 before this one for the Teen Center Refresh program that's been running since 2015.
Music pulsed throughout, ping pong balls skittered across the floor as kids flocked to the a new table tennis setup, others took turns with a virtual reality headset and a massage chair, and popcorn popped faster than the teens could put up points on the new Pop-A-Shot. Aaron's-branded swag was placed throughout, and the flurry of activity was underlined with gratitude.
All of it — handpicked by the teen members of the Mount View club, who described how special it was to get to make the decisions on what would be there.
"It made us feel really good about ourselves, because we got to pick the stuff that we wanted and we didn't have an adult telling us, 'oh you have to get this, we have to get that,' they gave us the opportunity for the idea to brainstorm what we wanted," said Lemenz P., a member of the club.
The members got to try the products of some of the new wares, including cotton candy and popcorn from their brand new machines, which will eventually be used to make and sell concessions.
Lenae P. described that it wasn't just the snacks, fun and games that were installed that make the revamp special. It's having a dedicated space at all.
"It's nice for us teens to have like a center where we can connect with each other. And like know each other, become friends, help each other out when we need it," she said.
One of the main purposes of the Teen Center Refresh is giving teens a safe place for recreation and gathering. The makeover, Lenae explained, is a bonus.
"I've been going here for almost five years, so when I say it's one of the best clubs, it's one of the best clubs. Even though I've visited the other clubs, I still like Mount View Boys and Girls Club better than any of the others."
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For the first time, an Omaha area Boys & Girls Club is part of a national makeover program, where teens get to pick permanent prizes.
The Aaron’s Company, a national lease-to-own retailer, operates the Aaron Foundation, which selected Boys & Girls Club of the Midlands’ Mount View center for a $20,000 pick-me-up.
On Tuesday, the member-picked improvements were being installed: with a big reveal set for Wednesday.
We won’t spoil the specs of the revamped center just yet, but Boys & Girls Club of the Midlands Chief Development Officer Elizabeth Donner applauded the choices made by young neighbors.
“I think our teens made some really smart decisions when it came to what they were gonna pick,” Donner said. “But they were also really thoughtful. There's some entrepreneurship stuff, with some hot dog machines, a cotton candy machine, an ice cream machine... where they're going to try to sell those at a concession stand here at the school to try to make some money as well."
Not all the new improvements are investment-based. Other selections emphasize convenience, activity and leisure. Aaron’s Director of Corporate Affairs Michael Wall emphasized that the Mount View teens settled on some unique big-ticket elements that stood out from the 62 previous Teen Center Refreshes.
“When we saw the list for what they chose for their teen center, once again it was another opportunity for us to go ‘look at how unique and different this teen center is from any of the others that we’ve done.’ ”
Aaron’s has been partnering with Boys & Girls Clubs of America since 2015. Mount View was selected for the program in part due to the close proximity to an Aaron’s location, which meant the company’s own workers could help with assembly and installation.
“These teens were empowered with a $20,000 budget to pretty much dream big. Figure out what they wanted to do with their teen center, how to make it more fun for them, how to make it a safe environment, a second home if you will.”
KMTV will return to the Mount View Boys & Girls Club on Wednesday when teens see the new features for the first time.
