09/23/16 Boys & Girls Club of Southern Maine
Posted by Tom Talbott
Our club took a road trip to the Portland headquarters of the Boys and Girls Club of Southern Maine! Our host and MC, Portland Rotary’s own Bob Clark welcomed us all. There are officially five club houses: Auburn/Lewiston Clubhouse (Auburn), Portland, Riverton Park, Sagamore Village, and South Portland. There are approximately 2850 youth members served over these 5 locations.
Bob’s plan was a series of vignettes from a strong list of people who have had the Boys and Girls Club in their life in one capacity or another. To start, Bob asked us all three questions:
1. How many of us have been into one of the clubs? It was evident that virtually every one had at one time.
2. How many of us had been in a club when it was open and busy with the youth membership? Estimate 85-90% in the room.
3. How many of us were members in their youth? About 5 alumni present!
Bob pointed to the banner behind him that noted Portland Rotary as a “Proud Partner” and added that it’s always been that way.
2. How many of us had been in a club when it was open and busy with the youth membership? Estimate 85-90% in the room.
3. How many of us were members in their youth? About 5 alumni present!
Bob pointed to the banner behind him that noted Portland Rotary as a “Proud Partner” and added that it’s always been that way..JPG)
Jim Willey came up to the podium to tell us about two of our club’s Charter Members, Ed Hannaford and John Calvin Stevens. Ed was President of the B&GC Association and oversaw the wonderful new facility for the club on Cumberland Avenue, which stands today. He provided a personal loan to finance the construction. The Stevens family was involved in the construction and design, which included a gym with collapsible bleachers – first of its kind. Ralph Hendrix, alumni and serving on the Board of Directors, reflected back on 55 years and what the B&GC meant to him. He described it as a large family, a place where when you walked through the door, everyone was equal. It was a special sanctuary, safe, bully-free. The character of the people and the impact they had on kids like him provided lifetime memories. While it leaned more towards sports and recreation, Ralph noted that the increasing efforts to engage educational aspects was equally as important. Ralph finished his remarks with a few reminders of upcoming events, such as the “Kids and Claws” on November 9th, where kids get to meet the Portland Red Claws basketball players.
Jen Pierce, Unit Director of the Portland Club House, is “short but mighty.” She noted that approx 200 member kids attend the club daily. There are 5 vans providing transportation. Underscoring the importance of these programs is that 80-100 meals are served per day, which could be the only true meal on any given day for many of those kids. In fact, over the 5 club houses, 91,000 meals are served per year. Over the past four years, there has been a definite increase in academic assistance, specifically the Teen Power Hour, where members go to a dedicated learning center to work and get assistance on homework.
Bob introduced Brianna Guptill, “2016 Youth of the Year” for the Portland clubhouse. A Portland High School grad now attending SMCC, she remembers being at the club virtually everyday from the time she was in middle school. At first it was just a place to hang, but then she joined the basketball team and the cooking program, as well as being involved in community service work. It was a safer environment than the streets, and away from some situations at home.
MC Bob introduced Sarah Clarke, Education Director, noting that having an ED was an organizational-wide investment, with funding from our own “Maine Outdoor Challenge” being a key driver. Sarah serves all 5 club houses, and spoke passionately about the summer “Brain Gain Literacy" program, now in it’s 3rd year, which ran for 8 weeks, with weekly themes. There were Kindle reading groups, educational software use, and other online reading.....74 kids, ages 6-9, were involved. Sarah also spoke of the first annual College Spirit Week, with speakers coming in to work with HS students building a pathway to college.
Bob wrapped up by taking some Q&A from the audience. First questions asked were how attentive the youth members were to the upcoming election. There will be a mock election held in a few weeks to see how things tilt. Those 18+ are encouraged to get out and vote for real! With regards to recruiting new members, the primary avenue is through the schools. Critical to this is transportation. Of the 200 or so kids who go to the Portland club daily, one-third of them rely on club transportation.
Interested in volunteering? Many opportunities and your skills would always be appreciated! For more information, go to or click on the following link: www.bgcmaine.org/volunteer
(Photo: BGCSM Board members Laura Young and Ralph Hendrix; Club alumna Brianna Guptill; Portland Clubhouse Unit Director Jen Pierce; Education Director Sarah Clark; and CEO Bob Clark.)