The former Woodland Elementary School in Carpentersville will be the Boys & Girls Clubs of Dundee Township’s latest impact center. The center will provide STEM programs and other services to about 300 middle and high school students. (Paul Valade | Staff Photographer)
When the Boys & Girls Clubs of Dundee Township’s CEO headed to Washington last year to seek funding for a new center in Carpentersville, he figured $250,000 was the most his organization would get.
At the time, most community project grants topped out at $250,000. Drew Glassford made his best pitch and returned to D.C. with some of the youth his organization serves to make his case a second time.
It worked — in a big way.
On Friday, U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi stopped at Perry Elementary School in Carpentersville to see one of the organization’s impact centers and deliver a $2 million check to help build out a new center at the former Woodland Elementary School, located a few blocks away.
“Because of the compelling nature of this program, because of the needs of this program, because of the incredible positive blessings that it confers on the community, I decided to go all out,” the Schaumburg Democrat said during Friday’s presentation.
Last fall, the Dundee Township Park District agreed to purchase the former school from Barrington Community Unit School District 220. The park district will keep the land around the school, but the Boys & Girls Clubs of Dundee Township, which is paying for the property, will keep the school building and the parking lot for the new Woodland Impact Center.
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