More than 200 children, ages 6-12, left the Woolfolk Boys & Girls Club in southwest Atlanta this morning for a day at Six Flags over Georgia.

When they return to the youth center later this afternoon, they might not believe their eyes.

The aging, somewhat rundown facility where they've been playing sports and games, participating in arts and crafts, and getting help with their homework will have been transformed into a totally revitalized complex. The playground, teen room, weight room and play area all are undergoing renovation as are ceilings, gates, benches and tables.

"When they get back, they will have a new club," said Susan Hamilton, vice president of strategic programming for Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta.

The one-day "extreme makeover" is being undertaken by about 300 volunteers bearing hammers, paintbrushes and other tools. The effort is sponsored by the Atlanta Taco Bell Foundation, and the restaurant company's employees are among those putting some sweat equity into today's renovation. Teenagers in the Boys & Girls Clubs are also participating.

Boys & Girls Clubs, Hamilton said, is a youth development organization that serves disadvantaged or at-risk youths, to help make them productive and healthy members of society. The Atlanta clubs were founded in 1938. There are 25 Boys & Girls Clubs in metro Atlanta, Hamilton said, with about 17,000 participating members, ages 6 to 18.

Hamilton said the makeover of the Woolfolk club is another step in the foundation's efforts on behalf of the clubs. Since 2003, Atlanta area Taco Bell restaurants and their customers have donated more than $600,000 to local Boys & Girls Clubs teen programs.