Gary & Jane Chervenell – Some Superheroes Wear Hard Hats

For nearly 20 years, Gary & Jane Chervenell have passionately helped our local children and teens. For this reason, we were not surprised they became Champions of this project, but even we would not have guessed how awesome their contribution would be.

Gary has been involved with Boys & Girls Clubs since 1999, when the Pasco School District hired his company, Chervenell Construction, to demolish the “old” Emerson Elementary School. Before the demolition began, Gary was told, “Wait! We think we can save some of the building and use it for something great!” With Gary’s help, that renovation became our Main Branch Club in Pasco.

Since that day, Chervenell Construction has been a major investor in our kids in addition to managing dozens of construction projects to make our Clubs better.

We knew Chervenell had to build our new Clubhouse. We also knew that we wanted to ask them to consider a significant financial investment in the project.  We set up a meeting to talk about our dream of building a Kennewick Clubhouse, told them we only trusted Chervenell Construction to build it, and asked them to consider a donation of $250,000 toward the campaign. We knew that this request represented a sacrificial investment in the project, and that we were asking for a considerable gift towards the campaign.

Gary said he would think about it and we thanked him. We had no idea what to expect. It was entirely possible that they would decide to offer in-kind services or give a smaller amount, either of which we would have been really excited about.

Then, the most unexpected thing happened. Gary and Jane decided not to give $250,000. They chose to donate $500,000 instead.

THIS NEVER HAPPENS! Initially we were unsure if we heard or understood correctly. The Chervenells did wish to double our initial request and went on to say that Gary would also serve as the general contractor of the project to ensure its success.

I asked, how did you come to this decision? “We give to the Boys & Girls Club because we know the Club makes a huge difference in the lives of so many young people.  We want to be involved in building great futures, making an impact for years to come,” Gary & Jane said.

For this reason, we are more than honored to name the new Games Room at the Kennewick Clubhouse after this amazing couple and company. Thousands of children will grow up enjoying the “Chervenell Games Room.”  The couple wanted to be part of creating a fun space for children and teens to enjoy. “Working hard is essential, but having fun is important as well,” they said.

Gary and Jane, we cannot thank you enough for being an anomaly in the best possible way – by being more generous than we ever imagined possible. Not all superheroes wear capes, sometimes they wear hard hats instead.