Most bucket lists probably include traveling to a far-flung location or a unique experience, but one local woman placed giving back to the community at the top of her list.
Darlene Zeh is confident she will be able to check off one thing on her bucket list after spurring a community effort to remodel the Rotterdam Boys & Girls Club located at 721 Curry Road.
“It all started ‘cause I wanted to give back to the community,” Zeh said. “I think that it is just going to help our community work together and give our kids something wonderful to go into every day.”
The project has a format modeled after the television show “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” which made the phrase “move that bus” take on a new meaning. Zeh is also planning to say that same phrase at the end of the club’s “Extreme Remodel.”
“It is fun for the public and it gets done,” she said about the project theme. “It is just something to look forward to for the community.”
The remodel of the club should take seven days, from Aug. 18 to 24. Until the project kicks off later this summer, Zeh has been busy reaching out to community members and businesses for funds, supplies and volunteer labor. The 18-year Rotterdam resident is hoping to raise around $150,000 to remodel the façade and interior of the club to give it an updated, modern look.
“I cannot believe the feedback I have gotten from this community,” Zeh said. “I just have a ton of businesses that are stepping up to the plate.”
Shane Bargy, executive director of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Schenectady, is excited to see the community supporting the project. Bargy said the more than 60-year-old building would benefit greatly from the remodel project.
“We were thrilled that a community resident recognized how important the facility is to children and families and wanted to make it better for them,” Bargy said. “We want facilities that all of our members can be proud of and this committee led by residents is going a long way to making it a reality.”
The economy hasn’t made it easy to for the organization to make renovations, Bargy said, but over the last couple of years it has focused on repairing the Rotterdam clubhouse, such as fixing the locker rooms and bathrooms and redoing the kitchen. All of the repairs were thanks to the generosity of foundations, businesses and individuals, he said.
“We would like a complete rehab of the Rotterdam facility,” he said, “but we ran out of money and this Rotterdam remodel has come at a perfect time to help us finish what has been started.”
Not only is the outside of the building in “desperate need” of an upgrade, but also he said the inside of the building would benefit from a remodel, which the project is tackling.
“They want the inside to be as nice looking as the outside,” he said.
Zeh said the project allows the community to see what its donations and efforts have accomplished because people will be able to drive by the facility and say they helped with the project.
Zeh’s son, 16-year-old Kyle, attended the club for baseball clinics. Also, with school programming being cut, the club helps offer opportunities that might not be available otherwise, she said. Kyle is a student at Mohonasen Central School District and her older son, 19-year-old Zachary, also attended the district.
“It is what Rotterdam needs and it is all about giving back and the next generation of our children,” she said. “I like it because they offer so much to the kids and the public is not aware of everything they do. I think they need to become more aware of what they offer.”
Zeh is a real estate agent for Prudential Manor Homes, but she also does interior decorating work on the side, which helped her envision the remodel.
Schenectady based Synthesis has also done all of the architectural drawings and renderings for the project at no cost. Bargy said Synthesis has helped out with several projects at the club and volunteered their service.
To contact Darlene Zeh about the project, email her at [email protected] or call 527-4026. Direct donations or sponsor forms for the project are on the Schenectady Boys & Girls Clubs’ website at www.bgcschenectady.org.
