‘We finally met the need here.’ 100 Columbus kids off waiting list for after-school club
Over 100 kids were on the waiting list. Now, thanks to the expansion of a nonprofit organization, even more metro Columbus children have additional options for constructive after-school and summer activities.
On Wednesday, the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Chattahoochee Valley will celebrate the grand opening of its new East Columbus branch in the former Edgewood Elementary School.
The new location has been serving kids since the renovation was completed this summer. Seeing that happen Aug. 8, the first day of the school year, followed by the branch’s teen center opening last month, was “very touching,” Boys & Girls Clubs President and CEO Rodney Close told the Ledger-Enquirer. “We finally met the need here.”
Close was the East club director from 1996-99. He became the vice president of field services for the metro Atlanta clubs before returning to Columbus in December 2012.
- The other Boys & Girls Clubs branch locations are:
- North Columbus, 1309 29th Street.
- J. Barnett Woodruff (South Columbus), 3200 Cusseta Road.
- The Club, 200 Clover Avenue.
- Fox Elementary School, 600 38th Street.
With an operating budget of $4.5 million, the Boys & Girls Clubs’ 90-member staff serves about 2,500 children annually, with an average of 800 attending daily, Close said. And 90% of those children are considered economically disadvantaged, he said, with 60% from a single-parent home.
The membership has increased about 25% in the past seven years, Close said. In 2017, Close was named Executive of the Year in the Southeast Region by the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.
With spaces for learning, recreation, technology, art, athletics and nutrition, the Boys & Girls Clubs programs focus on three main areas: academics, healthy lifestyles and character/leadership.
Annual membership costs $50 per child for ages 6-12. Teens are admitted free.
In November 2018, the Muscogee County School Board approved the sale of Edgewood to the organization for $850,000.
Boys & Girls Clubs moved its East Columbus branch from 1429 Morris Road to its new location about 1 mile away at 3835 Forrest Road.
With six times more space, Edgewood allows the East Columbus branch to not only accommodate the more than 100 children ages 6-12 who were on the waiting list but also add teens. The previous location served about 500 children ages 6-12, with an average daily attendance of 210, Close said, but didn’t have room for teens.
Ahman Davis, 13, an eighth-grader at Fort Middle School, wasn’t a club member last year. He played sports at school and at home instead. Now, he can play sports and do a lot more while attending the East club.
“I heard it was fun and it has lots of stuff to do and it helps you with tutoring,” he told the Ledger-Enquirer. “… I get to try new things and get my homework done in peace.”
Ahman added, “If you had a bad attitude, you can change that. You meet new and nice people. They help you get a good vibe.”
Malakia Sheffield, 12, a sixth-grader at Fort Middle School was on the East club’s waiting list last year, when she attended the Wesley Heights Elementary School’s after-school program. She likes this opportunity better.
“It’s good because I get to play with other people my age and stuff,” she said.
The renovation of Edgewood already has cost $300,000, with plans to spend another $250,000.
The purchase of Edgewood and its renovation are part of the organization’s “Great Futures Campaign,” which started two years ago. The goal is to raise $11 million by the end of next year, Close said.
The campaign also includes money for:
- A 6,500-square-foot teen center at the North club.
- Renovations at the North and J. Barnett Woodruff (South) clubs.
- New buses.
- The college and career readiness program.
- A program at another school-based site to mirror the one at Fox.
- An endowment for sustained programming.
Jack Turner is the campaign chairman, and John Flournoy is the honorary campaign chairman.
The clubs are using 30,000 of the 48,000-square-foot facility at Edgewood. The Sara Spano Clothing bank occupies roughly 6,000 square feet. An organization is being sought that will use the remaining 12,000 square feet to provide an apprenticeship program for teens and young adults, Close said.
Close appreciates the symbolism of the new East branch being in a former elementary school that most recently housed the AIM Alternative School, where students with severe discipline violations were sent, and Catapult Academy, where high school dropouts can earn their diploma. AIM and Catapult now are in the former Marshall Middle School.
“It’s our purpose as adults and leaders in the community to help young people realize their full potential,” he said. “The bottom line is for a young man or your woman to leave at the end of their 12th-grade year and be healthy, educated and employable. The end goal is to become a productive citizen in the community and to give back.”
That’s why Close considers the clubs to be part of the valley’s workforce development.
“This is where it starts,” he said. “We either pay now or pay later.”
Close is grateful to the school board for the opportunity to buy the Edgewood property.
“Their kids are our kids,” he said. “It makes me feel proud that not only this organization but this community provided a facility that was owned by the school district that could serve kids during a time that’s very critical, after school.”
IF YOU GO
What: Grand opening of the new East Columbus Boys & Girls Club, including tours and light refreshments.
When: 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 6
Where: 3835 Forrest Road, at the former Edgewood Elementary School.
More information: Boys & Girls Clubs of the Chattahoochee Valley, 706-596-9330..
This story was originally published November 5, 2019 at 5:00 AM.
