Sunday Interview with Dorothy Hyatt: 'Girls deserve a gender-specific environment - I believe it in my core.'

For 40 years, Dorothy Hyatt has been a trailblazer in the Columbus community, transforming the Girls Inc. of Columbus from humble beginnings to one the largest nonprofits in the city.

The organization, known as the Girls Club in its earlier days, serves hundreds of girls each year in a gender-specific environment, offering a variety of programs ranging from sports to economic literacy.

But in recent years, Girls Inc. has experienced some financial challenges.

Hyatt sat down with reporter Alva James-Johnson to talk about her years with the organization and her vision for the future.

Here are excerpts from the interview, with the content and order of the some of the questions edited for length and clarity.

Are you a native of Columbus?

Yes, I am.

Where did you grow up?

I was born in the Wilson Apartments and, thank God for me, we moved to Beallwood when I was probably 4 years old and there was a place called the Girls Club right around the corner on Kolb Avenue. My sister, who was probably 8 years older, said, “Tell that lady you’re 6.” I told that lady I was 6 and we started going to the Girls Club and that was literally my home away from home. It was just amazing. Those women there shaped me into who I am today.

What age were you actually at that time?

I think I might have been early 5. But I think you were supposed to be 6 and I blame that lie on my sister.

Tell me a little bit more about your memories of the Girls Club.

Well, it was just wonderful. They had a swimming pool then and we still do, thankfully, and I loved the swimming pool. They taught arts, crafts, sewing and cooking. My mom was working doubles, oftentimes, in the mill and trying to just keep us fed. At the time, there were five of us and that was a tough job for a woman. She always felt a lot of gratitude to have the Girls Club around the corner.

Tell me a little bit more about your home circumstances. What was your mother’s background and the background of your family?

My mom was from Florida and she married my dad and he had a problem with alcohol. But she was strong enough to say, “Enough is enough.” And even with five children, she left. That was strong, smart and bold, but she had no skills. So we lived in the Wilson Apartments and then moved to Beallwood. Later, my father got some help in Atlanta and he was part of the family again. But I think with poverty, once you are in that, it’s really hard to get out.

What was your neighborhood like?

I loved Beallwood. It was a village. I have no problem telling anyone I grew up there. It was a little rough, but I learned to be resourceful. They didn’t arrange play dates back in those days. You had to navigate that whole social thing.

Are your parents still living?

No. They’re both deceased. My mom died when she was 59, probably from all that cotton she breathed in from the cotton mill. It was a stressful life and she had a heart attack. My dad lived a little longer. I have two brothers who were killed at early ages because of things that kids get into, a sister that has gone before us, and I have two sisters left. We’re all very close and I love and owe them so much.

So when did you begin working for Girls Inc.?

Honestly, I think they felt sorry for me because I never had any clothes to go back to school. I think that as I got older, I was really good with the girls, had some leadership skills, and they let me work. I mean, they didn’t pay me much, but at least I was able my junior and senior years to work a little in the summer. I was a junior lifeguard and they had those programs for us.

What did you do after high school?

None of my family had gone to college. Orlean Cook, my mentor (at the Girls Club), said, “You’re going to college.” I said, “I don’t really want to.” And she said, “It doesn’t matter what you want. You’re going to college.” So she helped, as we do now, with all the paperwork, and Mary Sue Polleys was working (at the Girls Club) at the time and she drove me down to Troy State University and she dropped me off.

I stayed there and I literally had nothing. So I did work study and found a job at a restaurant. I’d also gotten a little scholarship from the Girls Club and the Bob and Dolores Hope Scholarship, and I just did it. We did get some financial aid — not much, not like they do now.

What was your college experience like?

I loved being on my own and loved learning, and I found out I was a social worker. But I think I already knew that.

So you majored in social work. And what did you get the master’s in?

Criminal Justice. Isn’t that funny? I thought I wanted to be a juvenile probation officer. But it just didn’t turn out that way. When I graduated, I went immediately to work as a Girls Inc. center director at the Garrard Center and I loved it. I got married and got my master’s shortly thereafter.

That was 40 years ago.

Yes. I’ve been here 40 years, but I actually worked four years as a center director.

Then you became executive director. That was a quick advancement.

Well, I guess it was because I grew up here. We were small then. We didn’t have this big building. My office was in a closet and we didn’t have any money and had a raggedy station wagon, trying to pick up children. I learned if you want to raise some money, you have to know about how to make relationships and how to cultivate and keep them going. Oftentimes I’d call people and say, “We have to pick up some girls and this old station wagon’s broken down.” They’d write a check for a new station wagon.

So describe how the organization is different from what it was like then.

You have to realize that when I first came here, the budget was about $100,000. We had Kolb Avenue and we had Garrard and people got paid a lot less then. Salaries weren’t quite so high. You didn’t have as many girls. You didn’t have as many staff. We didn’t have all these wonderful sports programs. We didn’t have economic literacy.

As you know,  we’ve had to cut back. We were up to $1.6 million. We’re at $1.4 million now. United Way funds are about 28 percent of our budget. The dues are about 10 percent. We have some interest income and we raise the rest. It’s tough, and we do that every year.

Have the programs changed?

I loved the Girls Club and I loved the opportunity to work there, but we’re raising women not to be homemakers — that’s not what we’re doing anymore. We’re raising people to be independent, healthy, strong, smart, involved women. So the emphasis — the mission — has changed and our programs have changed.

What are the demographics of the girls that you serve?

Eighty percent of our girls are from single-parent homes. Seventy-two percent live in families who live in poverty by Georgia standards. I know that sounds really high. But I always want to be available and accessible to that girl who doesn’t have the money, because I was one that couldn’t afford to pay a lot of dues. I think we have an obligation to reach out to that girl, and we do that really well.

How many girls do you serve?

We served 1,500 girls last year and some of those are through outreach. We do a lot of stuff with the juvenile court system. We do a lot of things with the community centers, Open Door Community House and lots of other nonprofits. We take programs to them because we have a lot of really neat programs.

And you currently have the two centers?

We do.

How big is your staff?

I have about 36 people on staff. It goes up a little bit in the summertime.

Last year, the organization received some negative publicity about the Garrard Center in Winterfield. Parents and community leaders were upset that it was closing after more than 40 years. Can you please explain why it was necessary to close that center?

I certainly can. Back in the late ’90s we had a capital campaign. The Baker Center was built in 2000. The plan was to close Garrard because it was built on land sort of similar to a landfill. It had a lot of problems and we spent a lot of money. But I thought, “Well, as long as we’ve got the money and we’re able to fund it, let’s keep it.” Then it started getting so expensive and we had some problems with the air conditioning going out at the gym. That was not cheap, and we just started to have some money issues.

Were you surprised by the backlash?

Oh, I was stunned. It became so personal, and I didn’t feel like I deserved that. It was very hurtful, but I got over it. I’m kind of a real tough girl.

Do you think there was anything that you could have done differently to make the transition smoother?

I do. I was just too comfortable. I should have been smarter. I should have started six months before and sort of eased into it a little bit more. I should have done things differently, no doubt. I take full responsibility for that. But I’ve never been through that before and — I didn’t know — I just sort of thought the parents trusted me and knew that we would get the girls to this center.

And all of those girls ended up here in the Baker Center?

Yes. As far as I know, they’re all here and loving it.

Some people saw it as abandoning the Winterfield community. What is your response to that?

I don’t think we had any other choice. It was just a business decision. We gave them an opportunity to come up with the money to fund it. They weren’t able to do it. I can understand how hurt they were, but I don’t think I really got it then. So I’ve learned a lot of lessons from that.

What is happening with the Garrard Center now?

I wish there was a church or a nonprofit group that would take that building and do something great with it. It needs some work, no doubt, but it’s still got some life in it.

Is the building currently on the market?

It’s on the market.

What’s the price tag?

It’s listed for like $149,000, but our board is willing to work with the community. It needs to be somebody who can use the money to make those repairs and get it going and do something good for that community. There’s nothing I would love more.

At the time of the closing, you said the organization had a $400,000 deficit.

We did.

Has the financial situation improved?

It has.

How so?

We have cut staff. We’ve been real frugal and that was a big savings right there. We’ve found some additional funds, some of it was additional revenue.

What was the cause for the financial troubles that the organization experienced?

I think when we built the Baker Center, we had some reserve because we knew it was going to be a tough time. We felt like we could increase revenue to make up the difference because, obviously, it would cost more to run this center and do all those additional sports and economic literacy programs that we had. We just never could raise the money to make up for that gap. But next year we should have a balanced budget and still have some money in reserve. I’m really, really proud of that. It will be a whole lot easier for the new executive director.

So are you planning to retire?

I am. I love this organization more than life itself and I think anybody could attest to that, but fundraising is brutal and it’s for young folks. It takes lots of energy. I’m tired of fundraising.

When will you retire?

Next November. I’m going to love that. But I’ve got a lot to do between now and then.

What do you plan to do when you leave?

I want to raise a little money and then I’m going to play tennis and maybe work as a kindergarten teacher. I don’t know.

So you’re actually thinking about going into another profession?

I’m actually thinking about it. I’m one of those women. 

Do you have any idea who might replace you?

I have no idea. But I do have a succession team and they’re looking.

What do you see as the future for Girls Inc. from here?

I would hope that they stay strong and would not become part of the Boys and Girls Club of Columbus.

And why is that?

Well, that’s happening in a lot of communities, but I think girls deserve a gender-specific environment — I believe it in my core.

Why is there still a need for gender specific programs and organizations like Girls Inc.?

I’ve seen it. I’ve watched it with my own eyes. If you’re in a gym, and you’ve got girls and boys there, the boys will be on the floor and the girls will be in the bleachers. Girls are less self-conscious when boys aren’t around. I think that’s just the way it is.

Bio

Name: Dorothy Hyatt

Age: 60

Job: Executive director of Girls Inc. of Columbus

Hometown: Columbus

Education: 1972 graduate of Jordan High School; bachelor’s in social work and master’s in criminal justice, Troy University.

Family: Husband, Phil; daughter, Emilee Hyatt Hicks; son, Wynn; grandson, Harrison, and two sisters.

This story was originally published August 22, 2015 at 9:38 PM with the headline "Sunday Interview with Dorothy Hyatt: 'Girls deserve a gender-specific environment - I believe it in my core.'."