The Boys & Girls Club of Burbank and Greater East Valley will soon be able to call a new address home, thanks in large part to a generous donation from Burbank locals, the Cusumano Family.
In a recent press release, the club announced the Cusumanos donated a hefty $1 million dollar donation as a contribution to the acquisition of a new main clubhouse location for the organization, located at 300 East Angeleno Ave.
The project has been in the works for over a decade as growth in the number of club participants has increased the need for a vaster gathering space. The new building is much larger than the current clubhouse, which was formerly a fire station, and will include features to accommodate a variety of club activities.
“[This] space is almost twice the size of the current main clubhouse,” CEO of BGC Burbank and GEV, Shanna Warren, said in the press release. “To say we’re excited to finally have an indoor gymnasium, dance and art studios, a STEAM lab, an industrial kitchen, a dedicated teen space, a beautiful outdoor courtyard, an auditorium, separate executive office space, and parking, is an understatement.”
In addition, the organization expressed gratitude for the Cusumano’s ongoing loyalty to the BGC of Burbank and GEV.
“The family has been staunch supporters of the club since our inception 25 years ago and has always recognized the service we provide in our community,” Warren said. “I am both thrilled and humbled by their continued support.”
Longtime Burbank resident Chuck Cusumano has been a loyal supporter of youth-oriented causes in the City for decades. In the release, he voiced the family’s joy in being able to help obtain the new building and further the organization’s mission of providing beneficial programs to youth in Burbank.
“On behalf of our family, we are pleased to be able to continue our support for The Boys & Girls Club of Burbank and Greater East Valley,” Cusumano said. “[We] are especially excited about being a part of the effort to secure this new main clubhouse in Downtown Burbank which will allow the club to extend its mission of providing critical resources to the youth of our community.”
Mike Cusumano says the family felt motivated to donate the funds due to the quality of the facility and how it will improve conditions for members of the BCG of Burbank and GEV.
“We’re just captivated by the potential of this new facility,” Mike Cusumano said. “It’ll be just a truly phenomenal facility to really serve the needs of this community for a long time to come…We always saw the enormous potential that this new facility had that we really felt compelled to try and step up and do something that was really meaningful.”
In addition, Mike Cusumano recognized how critical the work is of BGC of Burbank and GEV, especially amidst the COVID-19 pandemic when the community is in need of their program offerings more than ever.
“We’re in really, really tough times now,” Mike Cusumano said. “Everybody is trying to do more with less and the need for the Boys & Girls Club to be there to execute their mission…to be a safe, strong, great place for our kids to be able to go is just more important than ever.”
The BGC of Burbank and GEV is currently in the process of acquiring the property and hopes to open the facility by the early spring of 2021. Warren is optimistic the main clubhouse will provide a space with meaningful services for Burbank youth now and in the future.
“It is so gratifying to know we will finally have the main clubhouse that can grow and change to meet the needs of generations of club members for years to come,” Warren said. “The youth of our community deserve nothing less.”
