Great futures start at the Boys and Girls Club.
But it wasn’t long ago that the economy and other setbacks nearly ended its own future. Now, despite a shoestring budget, it’s thriving.
One measure is that “enrollment has increased,” said Executive Director Yvonne Hollins.
What started as a part-time venture at Harrisburg’s St. Paul’s Methodist Church in 1939 with 75 boys now serves more than 1,200 boys and girls at three locations: Angino Clubhouse on Berryhill Street, Hall Manor and Downey Elementary.
Youngsters from pre-K through high school do their homework and play indoors and out. They learn social skills and socialize and eat hearty meals. They find a safe haven at the Club, which runs during the summer and after school. An evidence-based curriculum helps strengthen kids’ academic skills.
Still, according to board president Phil Shenk, the Club is “one of the best-kept secrets in central Pennsylvania.”
That’s something the board and staff, especially the ebullient and dedicated Hollins, are determined to change. She loves when kids such as Khennedy Washington express the Club’s mantra—“Graduation is a must, not an option.”
Affectionately known as “Miss Yvonne,” Hollins knows the name of every kid. She is a product of the projects who went on to teach in the Harrisburg School District and became an administrator in Central Dauphin.
Catherine Juarez, a 12-year-old seventh grader at Rowland Middle School, has been coming for five years and calls the Club a “poster place for kids.”
“They help you with homework, give you activities,” she said. “You can play outside, read and do arts and crafts.”
Juarez noted improvements to the physical plant—from the A/C and teen couches to the playground equipment. More significantly, she has “made new friends.”
Her favorite aspect, though, is helping younger kids with their homework. “My dream career is to be a teacher,” Juarez said.
Shenk, whose father was the board president decades ago, helped ensure that the building would be up to code but also a place kids could be proud of.
“This coming year, we’d like to pump up volumes—to have more programs that involve kids and their families,” he said.
One goal is to open the Club on weekends, so the facilities are used all the time. The first Family Fun Days held on a recent Saturday attracted 200 kids.
Many organizations, businesses and individuals have pitched in to help—hands-on, through volunteerism or donations. Mark and Betty Butler of Ollie’s Bargain Outlet raised $1.4 million for the baseball field, which Core Construction built for free.
Mike Martin oversaw many of the physical improvements as pro bono project manager.
“Mike went on a tour of the building with realtor Bill Rothman and saw the kids interacting,” Hollins said. “He saw something special here.”
Kids pay a nominal fee of $10 a year for the afterschool program and $60 for the summer camp. “But we turn no one away and try to get donations to cover the costs for those who can’t afford it,” she added.
Most members live within walking distance of the Club, but it has a partnership with Children and Youth to transport those who don’t.
Some of the staff were once Club members themselves, adding to the tight-knit feeling.
Kevin Stanfield, a 16-year-old sophomore at John Harris High who aims to study psychology or nursing, is a three-year Club veteran. He loves there’s “always something to do—from baseball to X-Box—and a place to hang out with people.”
The new Robert C. Shenk Industrial Arts Center, named for Shenk’s late brother, offers formal training for the kids and the community.
The Club offers a computer lab, mentoring and such special programs as SMART GIRLS and Passport to Manhood. In the Keystone Room, the kids develop projects to benefit the community, in partnership with the Soroptimists.
As part of its emphasis on health, the Club provides every kid with a food package for the weekend—thanks to Channels Food Rescue. And the Club sometimes serves as a social service referral agency to help them and their families.
Add two gyms, a laundry room, lockers and a fitness room, and the Club is a true community center, meeting so many of the needs of the city’s young people. Earlier this year, the Club even cut the ribbon on a beautiful new baseball field behind the Angino Clubhouse, established by the Carl Ripken Sr. Foundation.
“Cal Ripken believed baseball could teach life skills,” said Hollins. “This is the first field the foundation put up in the state. It’s used for all of Harrisburg’s Little Leagues.”
Another gem is the playground, funded by PPL and UGI and open to the community on weekends.
You can sense the coming together of the various strands that make up the Club, from the kids to the staff—which Hollins asserts works well beyond the “pay hours”—to volunteers to the board.
Shenk called Hollins a “rock-hard worker, wonderful person and dedicated leader who believes in structure and goals and does what it takes to get there.”
For her part, Hollins said: “I feel so special. We see young lives impacted.”
Find out more about the Girls and Boys Club of Harrisburg, including how to donate items, at www.bgccp.org.
You Can Help
The Club operates under the umbrella of the Boys and Girls Clubs of America, with funding from the United Way. It also accepts private donations. The Club currently has the following needs:
- Washing machines and a dryer
- Donations of $1.78 per day for one year to sponsor a membership and summer camp fee
- New lunch room tables
- Commercial copier for each site
- PA/intercom system, sophisticated security surveillance system
- Lawn care equipment
- Commercial snow blowers
- Paper goods for serving meals
