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Hundreds celebrate Boys & Girls Club’s positive influence
By Sean Barron
POLAND
When asked to describe what being part of the Boys & Girls Club of Youngstown has meant to her, 15-year-old La’Niya Muldrow paused briefly, but didn’t mince words.
“It’s my sanctuary, where I feel safe, happy and peaceful,” the Cardinal Mooney High School sophomore said.
La’Niya was one of three youngsters who shared some of the impact the club on Youngstown’s South Side has had on their lives during the Boys & Girls Club of Youngstown’s fifth annual gala at The Lake Club, 1140 Paulin Road.
An estimated 300 people attended the event, which was to celebrate the 48-year-old organization’s investments in the area’s youth.
More than 900 youngsters age 6 to 18 go through the club’s summer and after-school programs each year, noted Germaine McAlpine, executive director.
One of those is Badges for Baseball, a character-building effort and partnership with the Youngstown Police Department, which also allows participants to develop positive relations with law enforcement, said McAlpine, affectionately known as “Mr. Mac.”
The Boys & Girls Club also has been instrumental in helping 11-year-old India Jackson bring into sharper perspective what she hopes to do years down the road.
“I want to be a veterinarian, because it helps animals and families, because so many families love their animals,” the Boardman Center Intermediate School sixth-grader observed, adding that the club also has helped instill in her a greater sense of responsibility and self-confidence.
For Tacobie Mitchell, 18, perhaps the most uplifting aspect of having been part of the Boys & Girls Club is that many youngsters view him as a positive role model and mentor. The organization also has been influential in shaping some of his ambitions, the Youngstown State University telecommunications major continued.
In keeping with its goal of greater reach and scope, the club opened three new sites in September to serve seventh- and eighth-graders, McAlpine said.
“We want to expand our footprint. We look forward to providing academic and enrichment opportunities to even more youth as we continue to grow,” he added.