Noble donated $5,000 to the club
By Roberto Hugo Gonzalez
As originally published in Texas Border Business newsprint edition February 2019
It was an extraordinary day for the Boys and Girls Club of San Benito as they celebrated a ribbon cutting and accepted the donation of a $5,000 check by Noble Texas Builders. Board President Liz Chavez was in charge of starting the ‘very ceremonial day,’ as she called it, for the Boys and Girls Club of San Benito.
She said that the club has come a very long way within the last couple of years and today’s ceremony meant a lot to them.
Chavez called four club kids to the podium, to come and recite the Pledge of Allegiance. They were Hayley Davila, Kalista Olivares, Danielle Davila, and Melynn Flores. They are members of the after-school program.
Eddie Lucio, III, State Rep. for District 38 stepped to the podium. He is also the General Counsel for Noble, and he said, “There are so many testimonials, not only in this community but nationwide about what Boys and Girls Clubs have done for people in their youth. That laid a foundation for them to later achieve great things.” He continued, “To have a facility of this quality in San Benito, it’s truly a blessing.”
Lucio asked the attendees for applause to Chavez called, Legacy Foundation, the City of San Benito, San Benito schools, theUnited Way, and Texas Roadhouse. He said, “In some form or fashion they participated in making today possible.”
Lucio pointed out that the facility is essential to this community and that this project is well beyond just a construction project. It is something for Chavez called and something for the community.
“It made me reflect on all the blessings in my life and all of the people, the schools, and the teachers, everyone who was involved. That gave me what I needed and as a young man to make it to 40.”
He also delivered several
Alfredo Garcia, Vice President of Noble Texas Construction, told Texas Border Business that there was extensive work done to this place and many people participated providing extraordinary craftsmanship.
First of all, the Boys and Girls Club applied and received a $150,000 grant from the Valley Baptist Legacy Foundation for construction and repairs for their gym and restroom facilities. The total construction budget for the project exceeded the gift. At this point Noble along with some of their local subcontractors and vendors teamed up together to do the project at cost and donated materials saving the Boys and Girls Club over $100K for the eight-week construction schedule.
The scope of work included a full gym renovation, approximately 4,700 square feet. Work consisted of replacing gym floors, painting, new light fixtures, two large fans, basketball/volleyball equipment, wall padding, repairing ceiling insulation, new storage with new doors, and four overhead doors.
Restroom gym renovations and office restrooms for both boys and girls included complete redesign and overhaul of existing toilets and plumbing. This involved new plumbing and fixtures, water fountain, painting, doors, light fixtures, ceiling, restroom partitions, sink and countertops, ceramic tile/wall flooring and restroom accessories.
Garciacongratulated three entities that have been instrumental in bridging the gap between the San Benito community and the Club.
The United Way, that has consistently given to the club year and year supporting and helping keep the doors open; second, the City of San Benito and their leadership have shown tremendous support in assisting the club in any way possible; and third, SBCISD has committed to providing afterschool buses for dropping off kids at the club for the afterschool program.
Garcia is a board member of the club and also a San Benito native. He said, “To all our friends, family and council. Thank you for supporting us throughout the year in all our fundraisers. This is only the beginning of our journey for this club and for our future.”
