ORANGE PARK – PACE Center for Girls has only been in Clay County since 2015, but its $2.5 million appropriation for a new facility will release funds to boost PACE Clay’s mission of empowering and inspiring at-risk girls, organization officials said.

PACE Clay currently has about $200,000 in occupancy costs for its center on Blanding Boulevard. Destani Shadrick, PACE Clay executive director, said more money could be moved to programs by building a new center.

“That will free up a lot of our budget to go into adding more staff, serving more girls and delivering more programs,” Shadrick said.

PACE Centers serve about 3,400 girls a year in 21 locations throughout the state. PACE Clay was the 19th of 21 founded, and it annually serves about 120 girls.

The growth would be measured, Shadrick added. A PACE Reach Center, a non-academic outreach program, would be a fit in an area such as Keystone Heights.

“With the day program, we would grow incrementally year by year and see what works best in the community,” Shadrick said. “We wouldn’t jump by 20 more girls or something like that, just a couple girls at a time and hire additional program staff.”

A site near the College Drive corridor has not been finalized, but President and CEO Mary Marx said the process could take 12-to-18 months.

“Destani [Shadrick] and her local board have been looking for a building for a long time,” Marx said. “It ended being more cost effective to build rather than renovate.”

Marx said it was important to keep class sizes small to focus on individuals arriving from difficult situations. The opportunity for growth was through the outreach program because any given site could work with another 70 girls a year.

“We make sure we act in many ways like the families [the girls] may not have,” Marx said. “The classrooms and staff are intentionally small so we can engage with the girls.”

Marx recalled a recent visit to PACE Clay, where she met three girls in the program. They told her about their ambitions and changed perspectives from the school.

“Pace really gave them a new sense of the future and what opportunities are available for them,” Marx said. “In a few months, they changed their own outlook for what they can do.”

Shadrick and Marx said when a girl leaves PACE, they wanted them to be better off academically and socially, working through their issues before they return to their zoned schools. A new building can increase PACE Clay’s capabilities, Shadrick said.

“Ultimately, we want to help get a girl on track to graduate. We really want her to live her dreams, whatever those may be,” Shadrick said. “We know the first step is that high school diploma.”

For a list of other Clay County non-profits, visit https://www.claytodayonline.com/stories/contact-information-for-clay-county-non-profit-organizations.