Glenn Fueston, Executive Director of the Governor’s Office of Crime Prevention, Youth and
Victim Services, spent time with our Club staff and student members during a visit to our Webster Kendrick Club on Thursday, March 25. Club members gave Glenn a tour of the Club facility before our Director of Social & Emotional Wellness, Amber Reed, presented plans for expanding our holistic approach to responding to child wellness. Then Glenn joined members for an activity in our STEM room. Young people rounded out the visit by challenging Glenn to a game of Rocket League during their ongoing esports tournament.
Glenn was joined by local law enforcement officers who are eager to resume regular visits to the Club as COVID-19 restriction ease. As Baltimore City Police Officer Sheena Newman described, “It's important for young people to see police in a different light other than just the patrol officers that circle their neighborhood. They get to know the person one-on-one and see the human side of you instead of just a uniform.”
Glenn has visited Clubs across the state of Maryland, at least one each month, following an $1.7 million investment in the Maryland Alliance of Boys & Girls Clubs this fall through the Edward J. Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (BJAG), which awards local projects that support efforts to reduce crime in Maryland. The Club visits have given Glenn a chance to see firsthand the ways in which Boys & Girls Clubs’ outcome-driven programs help reduce adverse childhood experiences for young people, a key strategy in the Governor’s comprehensive crime reduction strategy.
“The Governor is really committed to creating Boys & Girls Clubs as a hub in the community,” explained Fueston. “If we start with our most important asset, our children, and making sure that they’re getting the resources that they need, having the experiences and the positive role models they need, that’s going to be an incredible start.”
As the lead agency on the BJAG investment, Boys & Girls Clubs of Metropolitan Baltimore remains committed to bringing Boys & Girls Clubs’ evidence-based and evidence-informed youth development programs to more young people across the state of Maryland.