Boys & Girls Clubs of Metropolitan Baltimore (BGCMB) has been piloting a new initiative that deploys passenger vehicles to deliver critical services to communities without a physical Club location.
Club on the Go builds on Boys & Girls Club’s long-standing tradition of youth development to strategically target communities most in need of services, helping to build equity in neighborhoods that have been historically underserved. When they arrive in a neighborhood, staff members assess kids’ wellbeing, facilitate access to resources including food, and engage kids in signature Boys & Girls Club programming around key priorities: sports & recreation, education, the arts, health & wellness, workforce readiness, and character & leadership.
Innovative Programs Coordinator Candice Crenshaw, who runs Club on the Go programming twice a week at the Lakeside Homes apartment complex in Lansdowne, explains “With Club on the Go, we can serve more kids in need. These kids deserve guidance and a nurturing environment, especially while many of them remain out of school.” At Lakeside Homes, Crenshaw runs programming for 90 minutes a day, two days a week. Both days include a meal. “On my first day, I went door to door to introduce myself. Now, when I pull into the neighborhood, everyone just starts flocking over.”
BGCMB plans to expand the pilot to additional neighborhoods this summer, in partnership with Boys & Girls Clubs of Harford and Cecil Counties, who have also been piloting the program in their region.