Photo: Jared Brosnan/WBZ NewsRadio
BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — The Yawkey Boys and Girls Club in Roxbury got a major upgrade.
The Emily and John Brown Social Recreation Room now has everything from pool tables to foosball tables, arcade games, and Nintendo Switches. Boston Celtics star Jordan Walsh was on hand for the unveiling on Tuesday, playing with the kids in all the games.
"Everybody trying to get a piece of it and trying to interact with me and trying to beat me is definitely the funnest part."
Photo: Jared Brosnan/WBZ NewsRadio
Corey Manning, executive director of the Yawkey Boys and Girls Club in Roxbury, expects a lot of competitiveness with these new games.
"It's a good thing. You need to be able to learn how to compete so you can learn how to win, but also how to lose."
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Walsh agrees with the sentiment.
"You create a goal, you compete to see how soon you can get there or how soon you can accomplish it. I think it's something that will help you more than just in sports, in life, I think it's a good trait."
Photo: Jared Brosnan/WBZ NewsRadio
Manning says the new space provides a sense of reprieve for the children in the community who are facing harsh circumstances.
"A lot of the young people in our communities are growing up with difficult challenges; some of them are having to grow up a lot faster than other kids in other communities because of the responsibilities they have," Manning explained. "Here at the Yawkey Boys and Girls Club, what we do with this space is we not only create a space where they can be young, but we embrace them and encourage them to be young in a responsible and responsible way."
Photo: Jared Brosnan/WBZ NewsRadio
WBZ NewsRadio's Jared Brosnan (@JaredBrosnanWBZ) reports.