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Sharon and Russell White of Princeton look at plans for the Boys and Girls Club of Mercer County's new clubhouse. The organization kicked off its capital campaign in January.
(Cristina Rojas/The Times of Tren)
LAWRENCE — The Boys & Girls Club of Mercer County's "More than Hope" campaign to raise $7.5 million as it prepares to open a new facility in Lawrence received a $500,000 boost today.
The Nordson Corporation Foundation pledged the money to support the construction of a STEM Center at the new building, which will provide children with experiences in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, the club said in a news release.
The foundation is a branch of the Nordson Corporation, an international company founded in Ohio, which produces precision dispensing equipment.
“We partner with Boys & Girls Clubs all over the country due to our shared focus on the importance of providing a safe place for students to learn when they’re out of school,” Cecilia H. Render, the foundation’s executive director, said in a release.
The Boys & Girls Club also has received a $1 million donation from Novo Nordisk and a $100,000 donation from New Jersey Manufacturers during this fundraising campaign.
The organinzation, which had its plans to open a new location on Spruce Street approved in January, is currently in the demolition phase of its project, said Emily Gee, associate director of marketing and development for the club in Mercer County. The organization plans to break ground on new construction this fall and hopes to open around September 2015, she said.
The project involves making improvements to the existing building, a 35,000-square-foot facility on 2.3 acres that’s been vacant for seven years. A 5,300-square-foot section at the rear of the building will be demolished, to be replaced by a gymnasium and vestibule. The remaining space is being gutted and retrofitted to accommodate a technology center, café, food court, arcade, classrooms and multipurpose rooms.
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