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When Collaboration Creates Safe Spaces for Baltimore’s Youth to Flourish

We are deeply grateful to the Baltimore Community Foundation for helping bring our shared vision to life—closing the opportunity gap for the 252,000 children in Maryland who lack access to high-quality out-of-school time care. Together, one child, one Club, and one community at a time, we are opening doors, expanding access, and creating brighter futures for young people across our region.

Below, we’re proud to share an article published by the Baltimore Community Foundation that highlights this important work and the power of partnership in action.

As a new year begins, the question isn’t just what we value—it’s how we act on it. At the Baltimore Community Foundation, investing in the future means more than writing grants. It means convening partners, fueling collaboration, and working behind the scenes to turn bold ideas into real change.

Transforming a Cornerstone of the Community

The recently opened Baltimore Ravens Boys & Girls Club at Hilton Recreation Center is a state-of-the-art youth development and recreation hub serving children, teens, and families in West Baltimore. Built on the site of the long-closed Hilton Recreation Center, the Club represents a major reinvestment in a critical community asset.

The facility offers academic, recreational, and wellness programming, including:

  • Academic tutoring and mentoring

  • Leadership development and enrichment programs

  • Health and wellness opportunities

  • Athletic programs and safe recreational spaces during out-of-school hours


The newly renovated center features a multi-purpose turf field with lighting, a full-size gymnasium, fitness and activity spaces, tutoring rooms, and indoor and outdoor gathering areas designed to support both youth programs and broader community use.

BCF as a Convener

This ambitious project, six years in the making, came together through a collaboration among the Baltimore Ravens and the Steve Bisciotti Foundation, Boys & Girls Clubs of Metropolitan Baltimore, LEVEL82 Foundation, Green Street Academy, and a network of public, private, and philanthropic partners. BCF played a critical behind-the-scenes role by bringing funders and partners together around a shared goal: expanding access to high-quality out-of-school opportunities for Baltimore’s young people.

Convening work is central to BCF’s mission. We do more than give grants, we bring key stakeholders to the table to move needed change forward and help fundholders invest strategically to maximize their impact.

Reflecting on the project, Crystal Harden-Lindsey, VP of Community Impact, shared:

“We love to see the synergy of community, business, leadership, and more importantly, our home team, come together for such a good cause. We know that supporting the youth is something we’re all rallying behind because they are the future of our city. And to the children of Baltimore, this is your space, you belong, you are valued, and we are grateful to share space with you and build community together.”

Why Boys & Girls Clubs Are a Smart Investment

BCF’s support for this project, and for Boys & Girls Clubs more broadly, is backed by strong evidence. Every dollar invested in Boys & Girls Clubs generates nearly $8 in benefits in Maryland and over $10 nationally, through improved educational outcomes, reduced involvement in the justice system, increased workforce readiness, and long-term economic gains.


Investing Across Neighborhoods: Webster Kendrick Club

In addition to the Hilton Club, BCF awarded a Stronger Schools grant to Boys & Girls Clubs of Metropolitan Baltimore to sustain and expand after-school programming at the Webster Kendrick Club, located inside Callaway Elementary School in the Garrison Hill neighborhood. This funding supports:

  • Safe, structured after-school care

  • Academic support and enrichment

  • Positive mentorship during critical out-of-school hours

Together, these investments reflect BCF’s commitment to Baltimore’s youth, and our understanding that neighborhoods, schools, and community hubs must work together for their benefit. Per BCF’s CEO Shanaysha Sauls, “Every young person deserves a clear path to opportunity, and it’s BCF’s role to help build it.”


Looking Ahead

As we step into a new year, the Ravens Boys & Girls Club is a reminder of what’s possible when philanthropy is strategic, collaborative, and community-focused. At BCF, we are proud to bring people to the table, align resources, and help build systems that allow Baltimore’s young people to thrive today and for generations to come.



We are so grateful to Baltimore Community Foundation for helping bring this vision to life! Thank you for standing with us as we open doors, expand access, and build brighter futures together.


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