New Boys & Girls Club may give Indy youth fighting chance
A year from now, Jennifer Smith hopes to be one of the first to enter the new Finish Line Boys & Girls Club on the Far Eastside.
She'll bring her two pre-teen daughters, Kyra and Olivia, her toddler son, Justin, and maybe her older son, Nigel, to check out the 22,000-square-foot facility with a full-size gym, learning center, computer lab, game room and art center.
For now, she waits. And keeps a close eye on her kids.
Today, the Boys & Girls Club of Indianapolis announced it had surpassed its fundraising goal and will break ground for a new freestanding club this month, its first in 20 years. It will serve an area in desperate need of good news.
The club will be built at 38th Street and Post Road on the Far Eastside, where crime and poverty are familiar neighbors.
Consider these statistics, provided by the Marion County Law Enforcement Uniform Crime Report, the U.S. Census and the Marion County Health Department:
•Poverty levels on the Far Eastside exceed those in the rest of Marion County by 100 percent.
•Twenty-three percent of Far-Eastside residents are more likely to experience violent crime than other Marion County residents.
•Thirty-eight percent of Far-Eastside residents are under the age of 18.
•Sixty-nine percent of Far-Eastside youth come from single-parent homes.
•Eighty-nine percent of youth qualify for free or reduced school lunch.
"The new club will be located in an area that is underserved in opportunities for young people," said Jim Morris, Pacers Sports & Entertainment vice chairman and honorary chairman of the Boys & Girls Club capital campaign.
"The best reputation a city can have is being a place that takes care of its kids," he said. "Boys & Girls Club does that very well; 7,500 kids really benefit from these services."
Finish Line, which has its headquarters just a few blocks from the site of the new club, was an early contributor to the Boys & Girls Club's capital campaign, launched in January 2014. The athletic apparel company pledged $1.25 million of the initial goal of $6.6 million. To date, $6.9 million has been raised, according to Rick Whitten, executive director of Boys & Girls Club.
Whitten said when the board looked at areas of high poverty and high crime, where there are a lot of children and few opportunities for out-of-school programming, the Far Eastside stood out.
"We clearly identified and articulated the need, and the community response was overwhelming," Whitten said.
Morris agreed. "This community is unbelievable the way it comes together. We live in a special city."
Other major donors to the capital campaign, which also included an expansion of kitchens in other Boys & Girls Clubs around the city, were United Way of Central Indiana, $2 million; The Glick Fund, $566,386; Nina Mason Pulliam Trust, $250,000; Samerian Foundation, $200,000; Community Health Network, $100,000; Fifth Third Bank, $50,000; and Old National Bank Foundation, $25,000.
The new club will be built next door to the Community Alliance of the Far Eastside (CAFE), which offers programming for youth and adults.
Smith's daughters participate in mentoring, art and other programs at CAFE.
"I sign them up for pretty much everything, but when the club is built, it won't have to be so program-centered. Right now, we don't have a place that is specifically for kids."
Smith has lived near 25th Street and Post Road for nine years and says crime nearby is "horrible."
"Our little pocket is pretty safe; 85 percent of the people within three blocks are homeowners, but when you go up to 38th, 46th, those are the ZIP codes named by the city as high crime areas. We don't daily see a problem with crime, but it surrounds us."
Smith said there's no option for her kids to walk anywhere, and she hopes the club will put a dent in crime, juvenile deliquency and school suspensions.
The new club, which will be able to serve 1,500 youth a year, is scheduled to open next spring.
"It's going to be hard to wait," Smith said, "but we'll make do. We know the value this is going to bring."
Call Star reporter Maureen Gilmer at (317) 444-6879. Follow her on Twitter: @MaureenCGilmer.
Boys & Girls Clubs
Boys & Girls Clubs of Indianapolis has served the community since 1893. Currently, there are 11 club locations serving 7,500 youth ages 5-18 in the areas of education, career exploration, health and fitness, arts and citizenship. Dues are $10 a year. For more information or to volunteer, call (317) 920-4700 or visit www.BGCIndy.org.