The brainchild of Roy and Nell Houchens, the Glasgow-Barren County Boys & Girls Club formalized roughly 15 years ago. Recently, BRADD sat down with Mallie Boston, the current Chief Executive Officer of the Glasgow-Barren County Boys & Girls Club to discuss the many services the club provides. Boston, who started volunteering for the club over a decade ago, says, “it’s the most rewarding job I could ever imagine.”

For $45 a year, kids get access to all of the programming the Club has to offer. However, if a family struggles with this cost the Club offers payment plans and does not push a family to pay if they cannot. Boston asserts, “We don’t deny child care based on the economic situation.” In addition to membership fees, the club has many generous private donors and receives donations from local businesses. One such partnership is with the Glasgow Housing Authority. This partnership allows the club to be the only lessee to the federal building in which the Club operates. Boston says that she asks the private donors to be personally involved with the club, which is one of the many reasons why donors have continued giving generously for years. Boston recommends guidestar.org for nonprofits looking to secure grant funds.

In addition to donations and grants, the Boys and Girls Club of Glasgow works with the other Boys and Girls Clubs in Kentucky to secure funding for all of the state clubs. The Boys and Girls Club has a state alliance with lobbyists who were able to recently secure a million dollars of American Rescue Plan Funds (ARPA) for Boys & Girls Clubs in Kentucky. Boston says this would not have been possible without the state alliance.

When Boston took over the Boys and Girls Club as CEO a little over four years ago, she struggled to update aspects of the club to serve the needs of children today. The recent COVID-19 pandemic and other current events have pushed the Club to prioritize mental health in their kids’ lives. Consequently the Barren County Boys & Girls Club now has many smaller groups within it that cater to the interests of today’s young people, including a Basketball Club, a Video Game Club, even an Anime Club. Boston admits that, “At first, the Anime Club was a hard sell to some of the adults running the Boys & Girls Club, but in the end they saw that offering the Anime Club gives kids a space where they can feel like they are heard.” Keeping up with what kids are into allows the Club staff to connect with kids and meet them where they are. Further, Club staff themselves are required to tell Mallie their “why” (their reason for being here and serving in their capacity) within ninety days of beginning their work. This practice ensures that those who work at the club are right for the kids and can handle the pressures of the job.

Communities wanting to start their own Boys & Girls Club will need to find another Boys & Girls Club to “umbrella” under. While this is a requirement by the Boys and Girls Club of America, this also allows an established club to share information and resources with the new club.

Boston emphasized the support of the community in the success of the Club stating, “The Club has the support of private donors, but it also has the support of the school system, the Judge/Executive, Family Court judges, and many businesses in the community. Achieving as much local support as possible will make running a Club easier. Finding national organizations that support your efforts is equally as important.”