After Over A Year Of Picking Up The Pieces From A Fire That Destroyed The Queensborough Boys And Girls Club, The Group Finally Has Something To Smile About. Ground Broke Today On The New Salvation Army Boys And Girls Club Facility. The New Center Will Be Located In The 2900 Block Of Pershing Blvd And Can Serve 7,000 Low-Income Children Living In The Area.

Paul Merkl, Chairman Of Advisory Board
Those Kids And Many Other Kids In Shreveport And Bossier City Have Many Different Needs. They Need A Safe Spot To Play Sports And Games With Their Friends They Need A Safe Place To Do Their Homework And Their Schoolwork.

Planning And Funding For The Facility Began Three Years Ago Before The Fire, But Management Had Numerous Setbacks. Kilpatrick Thanks The City Of Shreveport And Mayor Cedric Glover For Making The New Club A Reality.

Cedric Glover, Shreveport Mayor
Often Times A Lot Of Tragic Circumstances Comes The Opportunity For Even Bigger, Larger And Greater Success. And So The Loss Of This Facility That Which We Knew Here For Years Has Created The Opportunity For Us To Be Able To Be Here Today.

The Facility Will Be 25,000 Square Feet And Will Have Computer Labs, Game Rooms And A Library For Children. The Pershing Blvd. Boys And Girls Club Is Entering A New Chapter In The Organization's 75 Years Of Local Operation.

John Jones, Salvation Army Division Commander
When We Put The Shovel In The Ground It Will Be Representative Of Not Just Turning Dirt Or Building A Building But Changing Lives; Turning Over The Spade Of New Possibilities For Young People Who Come Through These Doors. Christina Erwin Fox News Shreveport.