Mid-Shore Community Foundation Supports Future Boys & Girls Club at Mace’s Lane Community Center

Cambridge, MD – Boys & Girls Clubs of Metropolitan Baltimore (BGCMB) is thrilled to announce it has been awarded a $150,000 grant from the George B. Todd Fund of the Mid-Shore Community Foundation (MSCF) to support the Boys & Girls Club at Mace’s Lane Community Center. This transformative project will provide a safe and enriching space for youth in Cambridge and surrounding Dorchester County, significantly expanding access to after-school programming, mentorship, and cultural enrichment opportunities.

The project to build the Boys & Girls Club at Mace’s Lane Community Center reimagines the historic Mace’s Lane High School, the last desegregated high school in Dorchester County. This initiative, a partnership between BGCMB and Mace’s Lane Community Center, Inc. (MLCC), aims to restore and repurpose the long-vacant building into a vibrant hub for youth and the broader community. While currently under construction, once completed the Mace’s Lane Club will be the largest Boys & Girls Club on the Eastern Shore, capable of serving 150 youth daily—three times the capacity of BGCMB’s existing Cambridge location.

“The support from Mid-Shore Community Foundation represents a crucial investment in the future of Cambridge’s youth,” said Jesse Schaefer, BGCMB VP of Development and Communications. “With this funding, we can continue our mission to provide high-quality youth development programs that foster academic success, character and leadership, life and workforce readiness, and health and wellness.”

Since beginning Boys & Girls Club programming in Cambridge in 2021, BGCMB has made a measurable impact in the community. Youth participation in Club programming has led to an 83% decrease in alleged youth offenses within a .31-mile radius of the existing Club, underscoring the importance of providing structured, positive environments for young people.

“The Mid-Shore Community Foundation (MSCF) is proud to support the Boys & Girls Club at Mace’s Lane Community Center,” said Buck Duncan, MSCF‘s President.  “This project not only preserves a vital piece of local history but also creates new opportunities for young people to thrive.  We are grateful to George Todd for making this grant possible.”

The Club will offer daily after-school programs, summer camps, and access to a 2,000-square-foot museum and cultural center. Conveniently located near several local schools, the Club will impact more than 1,500 children within a one-mile radius. In addition to youth programming, the facility will serve as a gathering space for the broader community, promoting cultural enrichment and dialogue. The facility will feature a 7,109 square foot gymnasium, tech lab, game room, and classrooms in which Boys & Girls Club will provide out-of-school time programming that focuses on academic success, character and leadership development, the arts, health and wellness, sports and recreation, and workforce readiness.

Progress on the renovation is well underway, and we look forward to accommodating more than 150 youth members daily and 900 annually at the new Club.

Read more about the project here:

Mace’s Lane Community Center will be Home of a New Boys & Girls Club in Cambridge

For more information about the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metropolitan Baltimore and the Club at Mace’s Lane Community Center, visit www.bgcmetrobaltimore.org/great-futures-campaign/maces-lane-fc.