Howard County has unveiled a new Boys & Girls Club on the campus of Howard Community College (HCC), marking a notable collaboration in Maryland's efforts to support youth development. Howard County Executive Calvin Ball, alongside representatives from the Boys & Girls Club of Metropolitan Baltimore and HCC, announced the facility's opening, inspired by a vision to foster educational opportunities and community engagement for local teens, as detailed in Howard County Government's news release.
In a statement obtained by Howard County, Ball noted the strategic importance of the initiative. The innovative collaboration between County Government, Howard Community College, and the Boys and Girls Club is the first of its kind in Maryland. Ball's Fiscal Year 2025 Budget includes a $220,000 allocation to kickstart the program intended for middle and high school youth, offering them a beacon of hope and an alternative to the potential peril of life's more treacherous paths.
Jeff Breslin, President & CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Metropolitan Baltimore, emphasized the value the new location would bring. "Boys & Girls Clubs help teens recognize their potential and develop the skills they need to find and fulfill their unique path to a great future," Breslin told Howard County Government. His sentiments were echoed by Daria J. Willis, President of Howard Community College, who acknowledged the alignment of the partnership with the institution's commitment to a dual-generation approach to education.
This initiative expands the existing relationship between the Howard County Government and the Boys & Girls Club, which previously launched a program at Laurel Woods Elementary School, the first in Howard County. Ball awarded a $50,000 Youth Engagement Programming (YEP!) grant in 2023 to aid this partnership and its objective for broader program expansion. Including the new HCC site, and Ball's investment in the well-being of the county youth, via the YEP! program has surged past $1.5 million over two years, inclining hope towards a brighter horizon for over 8,000 young county residents involved in these enriching ventures.
