Building Great Futures: A Story of Impact at the Boys & Girls Club
For over 25 years, the Boys & Girls Club of High Point has been a cornerstone of community support, education, and development. Serving more than 1,300 children in High Point with their afterschool programs and summer camps, the Boys & Girls Club serves families and students at no cost to them. With 87% of their members on free and reduced lunch, the model of no cost is imperative to continuing to reach the families they impact.
While the Boys & Girls Club has offered critical mentoring and support for years, it was during the pandemic that they transformed into a crucial learning hub and demand skyrocketed. With licensed, certified teachers, the Boys & Girls Club ensured that kids remained on track, reaching and exceeding their reading levels. Yet even with their 10 locations, many of which were located inside schools or other multi-purpose building, the Boys & Girls Club was limited in the students they could serve.
In large part due to the Congdon Family Foundation’s generosity, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater High Point has now increased its capacity by 300%, allowing them to meet the needs of even more students through their recently opened Congdon Hub for Great Futures, a 25,000 square foot space designed to engage and inspire club kids.
“The Congdon Family Foundation was the catalyst in our comprehensive campaign to create a world-class experience for our Boys & Girls Club members in High Point,” says President & CEO of the Boys & Girls Club of High Point, Floyd Johnson. “Their support enabled us to secure funding that renovated and repurposed a former church that will now serve the community with a new mission.”
The new Congdon Hub for Great Futures houses a commercial-grade kitchen, a gym (converted from the old sanctuary), gathering hall and cafeteria, administrative offices, an elementary wing, and a teen center with esports, exer-games, an art studio, and a recording studio.
“They love that it’s their space,” says Johnson. He notes that this sense of ownership fosters responsibility and pride among the members.
The Congdon Hub allowed for the consolidation of several other club locations and can accommodate 400 students. However, the Boys & Girls Clubs are currently only able to serve 100 students in the space due to limited staffing and volunteer capacity. The team continues to seek additional community and donor support to fully utilize this space.
The staff that are in place not only make good use of the space, but many serve to illustrate the full-circle nature of the clubs’ services, such as Kierra Currie, former Boys & Girls Club member, who now serves as a Unit Director.
“I used to be them,” she reflects, underscoring the full-circle nature of the Boys & Girls Clubs influence on its members. The board of directors also includes former club kids and High Point locals like Justin Thompson, CEO of Captivate Media; Raven Jefferson, First Lady of High Point and Community Resource Coordinator at High Point Schools Partnership; and Dr. Cryshaunda Rorie, Founder & Director of Noelle Model Talen Group – all of whom are now shaping policies and decisions for the club.
This opportunity to see the entire lifecycle of impact at the Boys & Girls Clubs is thanks to their proactive approach that goes beyond “keeping kids off the streets.” The Boys & Girls Club of High Point actually seeks to build lifelong relationships between its staff and the club members, and it enhances club members’ experiences of the world through learning activities and opportunities that result in transferable skills.
“There’s a great big world out there,” Johnson reminds club kids. “You don’t have to live just in your little corner of it.”
The formula for success – young people, plus outcome-driven experiences, plus academic success, good character, and a healthy lifestyle – ensures that the Boys & Girls Club’s influence is long-lasting. While the future of the Boys & Girls Club has been accelerated thanks to the Congdon Family Foundation’s recent capital gift towards the Congdon Hub, its past is also filled with generosity from the Congdon family. For more than 20 years, Earl and Kathryn Congdon have supported the Boys & Girls Clubs of High Point with funds that guarantee the operations, scholarships, and lifelong success of the clubs and their kids. And now, their motto, “Great futures start here,” is continued to be lived out every day at the Congdon Hub for Great Futures.
Read more about our Education Grantees
"We’re creating our own ecosystem that is poised to turn our home into the “high point” of our state once more."
Rachel Collins, Business High Point
CEO
"When you’re helped out,
it inspires you to help others."
EMILY CAROTHERS, Earl and Kitty Congdon Old Dominion Freight Line Scholarship Recipient
"Compassion is taking action. It’s not being satisfied with the status quo."
Carl Vierling, Greater High Point Food Alliance
Executive Director
"All must give as they are able, according to the blessings given to them by the Lord your God."
Deuteronomy 16:17
"Our board is deeply involved in High Point. Their commitment to the city is evident in their desire for the foundation to form real partnerships with our grant recipients, so that we can support them to grow their impact."
Rev. Dr. Joe Blosser,
Chief Impact Officer