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by Stephen Lindsley

The Herbert Hoover Boys and Girls Club is growing, and the grateful community it serves will certainly benefit from the expansion. Founded on the former grounds of the storied Sportsman’s Park at 2901 N. Grand Ave., the facility was constructed shortly after the St. Louis Cardinals ball club literally moved its home base downtown, but the baseball diamond at the Boys and Girls Club is still situated on the same location as the major league field that preceded it.

Funded by a $5 million capital campaign that is currently in its major gifts phase, the new space will include a multipurpose community room, lunchroom, fitness center, teen center and an expanded Webster University community music school. There will also be a performing arts and dance studio, as well as access enhancements for the physically challenged, including a new elevator.

The club has long offered dental services through an on-site clinic, but the new facility will also include eye care and nutrition centers.

A $1 million gift to the club by Dennis and Judy Jones has given a boost to the construction effort. Dennis Jones founded the St. Louis pharmaceutical company Jones Pharma in 1981, which was sold to King Pharmaceuticals in 2000. “I retired after the sale of the company, but I set aside some money for philanthropic purposes,” says Jones. “We have been unhappy with the pace of development in the city of St. Louis compared to other great cities. This new facility will greatly expand the ability of the club to have a positive impact on the lives of inner city children.”

Flint Fowler, executive director of the club, notes that its charter is issued through Boys and Girls Clubs of America, whose motto is “The positive place for kids.” Membership in the national organization means better quality assurance and the opportunity to share best practices with similar organizations around the country, says Fowler.

“We are dedicated to helping boys and girls realize their potential as responsible, positive members of the community,” says Fowler. “The club helps instill a sense of belonging, usefulness and a positive self-image.”

The main focus of the club is in five core areas: character and leadership, education and career, health and life skills, arts, and sports, fitness and recreation. “Through these programs our members are more likely to maintain positive relationships with their peers, their families, and thus, the larger community,” says Fowler.

During the school year, the club is open from 3 to 9 p.m. Fowler estimates that membership now includes 2,100 boys and girls between 6 and 18 years of age, 50 percent of whom are from single-parent homes. The new facility will allow the club to serve an additional 1,000 or more children each year.

One important addition in the new facility will be the lunchroom, where members will be served meals – a program that the current facility cannot accommodate. “After several hours of moving through different activities, these kids get pretty hungry,” says Fowler. After school programs can include homework assistance, musical instruction, science lab, arts and crafts and sports.

In the summer, the club’s programs are structured into a day camp experience. Groups of 35 children move each hour through a series of organized activities. “Attendance is more consistent over the summer,” says Fowler. “The more exposure they get, and the longer they are engaged, the more impact we can have.”

Nationwide, the Boys and Girls Clubs of America boasts some high-profile alumni, including Bill Cosby, Brad Pitt, Michael Jordan, former President Clinton, Martin Sheen, Neil Diamond and Denzel Washington. Another former member, Olympic gold-medallist Jackie Joyner-Kersee, has founded her own Boys and Girls Club in East St. Louis.

Membership in the Herbert Hoover Boys and Girls Club is $15 per calendar year. Children are generally members for 3 to 6 years, but the experience can have a profound effect. A recent survey of Boys and Girls Club alumni found that 80 percent said club staff helped them learn right from wrong, 95 percent indicated the club was the best thing available in their community, and 52 percent said participating in the club “saved my life.”

With construction on the new facility already underway, staff and students alike are enthusiastic about the benefits the new space will provide. Amenities already in place, such as a branch of the St. Louis Symphony Community Music School, make the club a haven for cultural and personal growth. Plus, with the popularity of its sports programs, including a Cory League baseball team, Junior Football League football and its own basketball league, it is easy to see why demand for services has outstripped the capacity of the original facility. The Herbert Hoover Boys and Girls Club is growing, and will now be better prepared to meet the needs of young St. Louisans for many years to come.

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