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The recent expansion of the Morrison Family YMCA Ballantyne includes a tribute to Rachel Giblin, who died in 2006 during the Multiple Sclerosis Bike-to-the-Beach fundraiser.
The grand opening of the Rachel Giblin Teen Center at the Morrison YMCA will be today.
Through donations from Best Buy Blakeney and Microsoft, an array of game equipment and stations will be provided.
The 4,500-square-foot center will feature a Wii and Xbox 360 station, whiteboard, six-panel TV, recording studio, performance stage and Internet station, said Laura Smith, associate executive director at the Morrison Y.
A band shell also is being built as part of the memorial. It will serve as a community gathering place for bicyclists and joggers. That facility won't be ready this weekend.
Giblin was a Y member who donated to the Star Fish program, which sends underprivileged children to summer camps. Her parents, Tom and Becky Giblin, established the teen center to honor the memory of their daughter.
“It's a wonderful expression of who she was and what she loved,” Becky Giblin said. “She was all about community and bringing people together ... the proof was in her actions.”
Tom Giblin, an architect and former YMCA board member, joined with Stocker Associates to design and build much of the Morrison Y.
Becky Giblin and many of Rachel's friends created mosaic glass tile arrangements on the band shell's outdoor benches on June 9, which would have been Rachel's 18th birthday.
The work helps to “cope with a void,” Becky Giblin said. So she has connected to places that gave Rachel “joy and significance. … It is a driving force for us.”
Rachel was hit by a passing vehicle while riding with her family in North Myrtle Beach to raise money for multiple sclerosis.
The Giblin family sued the MS Society in 2007, and the case was settled in mediation. Family members declined to give more details.
After the accident, Rachel's parents started the Web site www.sharetheroadforrachel.com and a car magnet campaign to raise awareness about bicycle safety. Rachel's school, Charlotte Country Day, has started a scholarship fund in her name.
Tom Giblin said the addition of the teen center, classrooms and dance studios cost approximately $280,000.
“Rachel represents a lot of different things kids are interested in,” said Steve Bowers, community vice president at Morrison Y.
Tom Giblin said the next step is to draw in kids and start a teen advisory group to direct the facility.
“It's a gift when you are given an opportunity to give back,” Becky Giblin said.
“If Rachel was here, she'd say it was awesome and can't wait for it to be finished.”
