Page 4 - BusinessWest February 20, 2023

A Journey Continues
Building a New Home for Girls Inc. Has
Been a Learning Experience on Many Levels
BY GEORGE O’BRIEN
[email protected]
n adventure. A struggle.
An experience.
A journey.
Suzanne Parker used all those
terms and others that would be considered synonyms, usually with more than a hint of understatement in her voice, to describe
the process of taking Girls Inc. of the Valley to the doorstep of opening its new headquarters facility in Holyoke.
The journey, adventure, or whatever she wants to call it is far from over. In fact, construction is still in what would be considered phase 1. But most of the really hard work — and there has been a mountain of it — is now behind Parker, executive director of this nonprofit, and countless others who have been involved.
Thus, they can focus even more of their ener- gies on making this facility all that they hoped it could be when people first started thinking about a new home more than seven years ago.
Indeed, Parker noted that the ceremonial ‘ther- mometer’ erected on a sign just outside the prop- erty on Hampden Street needs to be adjusted to reflect that 92% of the stated $5 million fundrais- ing goal has now been met. Meanwhile, work con- tinues inside on the various spaces that will define this facility, from a community room to a maker space to a teen lounge.
The work to create a new space for Girls Inc. began in earnest out of necessity — specifically, the knowledge that a 40-year lease on property the nonprofit was leasing in downtown Holyoke was expiring and would not be renewed — and brought Parker and other leaders of Girls Inc. to countless properties in or near downtown Holyoke in search of the perfect fit, knowing that such a thing prob- ably didn’t exist.
But they found something close in the former headquarters of the O’Connell Companies on Hampden Street, a building, or at least portions of it, that date back to the late 19th century.
Retrofitting the multi-level structure, complete with many unique spaces, has become a labor of love for those involved with Girls Inc. — and so much more.
Indeed, for many of the girls who are members, it has been a unique, hands-on learning experience, with real-life lessons in everything from marketing to fundraising to architecture. In fact, several girls worked directly with lead architect Kuhn Riddle to design one of the spaces in the new home.
Meanwhile, this quest for, and the building of, a new home has been a tremendous opportunity for Girls Inc. to gain exposure, make new connections, and strengthen existing ones, said Parker, adding that this work is ongoing as the nonprofit works to raise that remaining 8% of the funds needed.
“Throughout this journey, we have gained a
4 FEBRUARY 20, 2023 << FEATURE >> BusinessWest
Suzanne Parker, left, and Yadillete Rivera-Colón in the new home
of Girls Inc. of
the Valley on Hampden Street in Holyoke.