Staff photos / Brandon Cantwell James Bird, executive director of the Boys and Girls Club of Youngstown, left, and Edna Edmonds, the organization’s chief operating officer, cut a ribbon commemorating the club’s grand reopening Thursday afternoon.

YOUNGSTOWN — For Andre Stewart, coming back to the Boys and Girls Club of Youngstown felt like a full circle, being in a place that was like a second home for him.

“This place is where I came after school or to get away, and you didn’t know how much you needed it when you were young,” said Stewart, a resident of Youngstown’s South Side.

“Also, as you get older, some of the people, good people in the city, people who might be in trouble — it kept you out of trouble as much as it could have got you in trouble, too.

“Kids that went other ways when you see them, they might leave you alone, because ‘Oh, I remember him from the Boys and Girls Club.”

Stewart was one of many community members, alumni and public officials at its Oak Hill Avenue building Thursday afternoon, as club officials celebrated its $1.5 million renovation.

The renovations, which were made possible through community support, include a new main entrance, program rooms designed for elementary, middle and high school members and a teen center.

There also are dedicated arts and graphics and STEM programs rooms, and the gymnasium and activity center have been renovated and restored.

James Bird, the club’s executive director, said the gym’s improvements will give way to a number of new activities, such as volleyball, pickleball and aerobics.

Bird said the completed renovations are only the first phase of what officials have planned for the club.

“We’re going to begin next year to build a community park, and it’ll be part of the Boys and Girls Club, become part of the community,” Bird said. “A part of Market Street, Oak Hill and the South Side.

“I really hope that this then becomes a renaissance of affordable housing because there are so many available lots that we could have affordable housing with a wonderful youth center, wonderful park.”

Samantha Turner, the 2025 chairperson for the club’s board of directors, called the renovation an “expansion of possibilities.”

“It is a commitment to ensure that every child who walks through those doors feels seen, supported and empowered,” Turner said. “Here, our youth will discover the strength to try new things, build relationships and receive the guidance that they need to survive.

“This club has been a cornerstone of Youngstown for decades, and today we stand together stronger, more unified and more determined than ever — ready to write a new chapter.”

Chief Operating Officer Edna Edmonds emphasized some of Turner’s points, noting that every child in Youngstown has potential — just not the means to reach it sometimes.

“Too many kids grow up without access to safe spaces — healthy meals, mentors and opportunities. But at the Boys and Girls Club of Youngstown, kids have what they deserve,” Edmonds said. “A safe space to learn and grow; caring mentors that show up and stick around and access to tools and experiences that open new doors.

“Youngstown needs club kids, and club kids need all of you.”

State Sen. Al Cutrona, R-Canfield, presented Turner and the club’s board of directors with a proclamation from the Ohio Senate, after it included money in the state’s capital budget to support the renovations.

“There’s nothing that makes me happier than when we have an opportunity to invest in our community and our children,” Cutrona said. “When we see projects like this succeed, it gives us all the more encouragement to see more dollars flow to communities like this.”