IKORCC Business Rep Kyle Gresham works with students at the launch of Project Blueprint in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

When the Boys & Girls Club of Fort Wayne began their quest for a blueprint for great futures for their students, we knew it was a perfect project for the Indiana/Kentucky/Ohio Regional Council of Carpenters.

Not only did union carpenters help build the new Boys & Girls Club in Fort Wayne, Indiana, we’ve also helped plan, build & introduce curriculum for a one-of-a-kind program called Project Blueprint.

Project Blueprint exposes kids to careers in skilled trades like carpentry, flooring, welding, electric, manufacturing and more. The idea is to show kids career options after high school other than the traditional four-year college pathway.

“That’s the key, exposing kids to careers early on so they can really dream about what is that they really like doing. This is what this program is all about,” says Boys and Girls Club of Fort Wayne CEO Joe Jordan.

Project Blueprint is the first of its kind in the country. Kids utilize the curriculum and learn to plan, layout, and build structures. A special room in the new Boys & Girls Club will make it easier for students to focus on their projects. The Project Blueprint room features workstations, tools, welding and more.

IKORCC Business Representative Kyle Gresham says, “From its very inception, we’ve been involved. From serving on the advisory board, helping create a curriculum, to working on projects with students.”

“It really recharges me to see how excited these young people are to try something new and realize that they can do anything they set their mind to,” Kyle adds.

Community partners are also excited for the project, on Tuesday night the Boys & Girls Club received over $200,000 in donations for materials to keep the project moving.

Signatory union contractors MKS (Michael Kinder & Sons) built the Boys & Girls Club of Fort Wayne with interior work by Rosema.