The Boys and Girls Club of Elkhart County score big with a new multimedia tech bus.

September, 11, 2024

A COVID-era tech bus has been repurposed by the Boys and Girls Club of Elkhart County into a mobile recording studio with the hope of inspiring the next generation of talented youth. The bus, now called the Studio, or iO for short, was originally built in 2019 as a mobile coding lab complete with built-in WIFI and iPads. After COVID shuttered the program, the bus needed a new home and purpose, which the Boys and Girls Club was happy to provide. Thanks to generous donations from Best Buy, Taylor Swift, Ashanti, Usher, Federated Media, Thor, and Meijer, the iO has been converted into a state-of-the-art mobile recording studio ideal for podcasts, musicians, and even YouTube videos.

The Boys and Girls Club of Elkhart County has produced two award-winning singers recently, Chyniah Woods and Marquavious Hill. Both Hill and Woods were selected to perform at the national Boys & Girls Clubs of America conference last year, and Woods was chosen as the Youth Talent Ambassador for 2023. The Boys and Girls Club will be able to provide all 4 Elkhart County Clubs and Summer programs an opportunity to train both in front and behind the mic, thanks to local radio host Heather Rooney.

“When I heard about the iO, I just knew I had to be a part of this journey for the local kids. I immediately contacted the Boys and Girls Club to offer my help. By mentioning what they are doing to the artists I was interviewing, I was able to help them secure some of the equipment donations,” said Rooney. Over $175,000 of equipment and furnishings were donated to bring this dream to life. 

The Boys and Girls Club of Elkhart County will host the podcasts, music, and videos the members make on their website. Each month, Rooney will select a new song to play on the radio in a new segment she calls “Clubbing at the B & G.” Rooney hopes that playing these songs will inspire more teens to take advantage of this incredible program. “If I can give just one child a measure of hope more than they started with, it will all be worth it for me.” If you want to donate to this or any other program at the Boys and Girls Club of Elkhart County, please visit https://www.greatfutures.club/bluedoor/ or contact the Administrative Office at 574-534-5933.

Each day, the Boys and Girls Club of Elkhart County welcomes more than 1,500 youth between the ages of six and 18 to their Clubhouses. As soon as the club members walk through the doors, they enter an environment of stability, consistency, and physical and emotional safety. Each day they build deeply powerful relationships with the youth they serve and open avenues of opportunity for young people across the community. For more information on this or other stories about the Boys and Girls Club of Elkhart County, please contact West Todd, Media Relations at (574) 534-5933.