Boys and Girls Clubs of Southeastern Michigan set to move HQ out of Farmington Hills

FARMINGTON HILLS — For more than a decade, the Boys and Girls Clubs of Southeastern Michigan has been headquartered in a building on Halsted Road in Farmington Hills.

The building is owned and operated by Amerisure.

It was recently announced that the Boys and Girls Club is moving its headquarters to Detroit and will take occupancy in Newlab at Michigan Central, located on 15th Street.

According to a press release, the organization serves 21,000 youth, families and entrepreneurs annually in neighborhoods throughout southeastern Michigan.

The release states that Michigan Central is a center for advancing technologies and programs that address barriers to social, economic and physical mobility, with its 30 acres in Detroit acting as a convening place and a “call-to-action to advance a more sustainable, equitable future through a community-based approach to mobility solutions.”

According to the release, the Boys and Girls Club will act as a key partner for youth development activities at Michigan Central, helping coordinate programs and activities with advanced technology development resources and innovators at Newlab, with initiatives such as technology and gaming workshops, fashion and design studios, architecture and arts explorations, and robotics and automation boot camps.

“The new partnership will build on BGCSM’s previous success collaborating with public figures and organizations like Big Sean, activist, and NY Times best-selling author Shaka Senghor and the BGCSM program Ponyride to provide workforce development opportunities for young people interested in the future of mobility, entrepreneurship and careers in technology, fashion, literary arts, urban planning and entertainment and more,” the release states.

Shawn Wilson, Boys and Girls Club  president and CEO, shared another advantage of moving the youth development organization’s headquarters to Detroit.

“We’re currently in Farmington Hills in the Amerisure building, and super grateful for Amerisure providing us with that space for over a decade-plus,” Wilson said. “What this provides us with an opportunity to do is move closer to our clubs. We currently have four clubs — primarily in Detroit, Highland Park and Eastpointe, so this move allows senior leadership to be closer to the clubs, which is important. One of the things we already do is, senior leadership makes it a point to work from the clubs, pretty much on a daily basis, and so this will give us an opportunity to continue to do that, but also have a gathering spot, if you will, in the city.”

Wilson said that the move “won’t impact youth at all.”

He said that the process of moving is underway right now and that, “we’ll roll it out over the next year or so.”

Approximately 30 employees are expected to be part of the move over the next year.

Wilson expressed confidence that Amerisure will find good use for the space. But as for the organization that he represents, he said that he is excited about the move.

“We consider ourselves a very innovative organization, and to be on the campus of Michigan Central, where there’s so much innovation, there’s so much ingenuity, there’s so much energy, will only help us to continue to be that forward-thinking, forward-leaning innovative organization,” Wilson said.

Nate Wallace, who is the director of civic partnerships at Michigan Central, shared his thoughts about the partnership.

“In order for Detroit to truly succeed, we must be intentional about providing opportunities for the city’s youth,” Wallace stated via the release. “The Boys and Girls Clubs of Southeastern Michigan is a national leader in empowering young Detroiters and preparing them to become leaders themselves. This partnership will not only introduce our youth to the future of technology, it will help them be a part of it.”

Aside from the positive impact that the partnership can have on local youth, one of Wilson’s points of emphasis is that there’s also something in it for Michigan Central.

“What makes me most excited is that the CEO of Michigan Central really put it best when he talked about it’s not just that youth deserve an opportunity to have access to Michigan Central, but they believe that youth benefit Michigan Central – they bring something to the table … through their presence, through their ideas, and I think that’s powerful, because what it shows is that this is not charity. … Youth are an asset, and we’re bringing an asset to Michigan Central.”