Highland Park Boys & Girls Club Cuts Ribbon on $2M Renovation to Hiram E. Jackson Club

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeastern Michigan held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Monday, April 7, for its recently renovated Hiram E. Jackson Club. The $2 million renovations include a commercial kitchen, a new music studio, and an E-sports lounge. 

The renovated club will serve youth through the Highland Park Boys & Girls Club. The club was named in honor of the CEO of Real Times Media and publisher of the Michigan Chronicle, Hiram E. Jackson. In 1971, at age 6, Jackson became a member of the Boys & Girls Club. According to the Michigan Chronicle, it is the first of all the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeastern Michigan to be named after an African American.

“We've been around nearly 100 years, and if you really put that into perspective, that means we've been here during the Great Depression, world wars, COVID, you name it,” said Boys & Girls Club CEO Shawn Wilson in a statement with Local 4 News Detroit. “And each of those moments, we've found a way to contribute and support the community. Whatever the community and the youth needed during those challenging times, the Boys & Girls Club was there to meet it.”

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeastern Michigan maintains five locations in the region, including one in Highland Park. Learn more about the organization and its mission to serve youth on its website.