Boys and Girls Club is changing lives (2024)

It may have been a long journey to get here, but the staff of the Somerset Boys and Girls Club proved that just because something is difficult, that doesn’t mean it’s impossible.

The Boys and Girls Club, which operates out of the Rocky Hollow Recreation Center on South Central Avenue, held its ribbon cutting ceremony Friday afternoon, celebrating the creation of a club that is meant to change lives.

A visibly emotional Kathy Townsend, who serves as the director of the club, told Friday’s audience, “This has been hard. It’s been so good, though, for our community.”

The club opened its doors in February, holding an after school program for students ages 12 through 18 each school day, from 3:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Over the summer, the club has been holding a camp, of which Friday was its last day, Townsend said. The after school program will resume in the fall, after Labor Day.

The program was originally open to kids only going to the Somerset Independent School District, but Townsend said the program is now open to all schools in the county.

There is an annual fee of $25 per child, but Townsend said that if a family cannot afford that, businesses and individuals in the community sponsor children, so that no child is turned away.

The community has been very supportive of getting the club up and running, with Townsend listing off a slew of businesses and organizations that have contributed over the past few months.

The people Townsend thanked include Somerset Mayor Alan Keck, the Somerset City Council and other employees of the City; Aarons, which donated a television and gaming system; their community partner Aetna, which just presented the club with a $50,000 check; and Magic Monograms & Embroidery, which Townsend said donated around $20,000 worth of jackets and sweatshirts for the kids.

The club provides both a wellness closet and a food pantry to assist kids in getting any items they might need, she said.

Townsend also thanked the Boys and Girls Club of Glasgow-Barren County, which is the parent organization of this new Somerset branch.

Mallie Boston, the CEO of the Barren County group, said local staff worked hard to get the Somerset club up and running.

The true value of the club may not be known immediately, she said, and may not be visible to the public.

“I can guarantee you, when the community gets behind it and you have people like this – because this is the main reason, this is the product – you make a difference that you don’t see. And they (the staff) won’t see it,” Boston said. “Anything from something a child may be experiencing and have no where else to go to, to when they have exciting moments they want to share and maybe don’t have that opportunity, or (staff) being able to step in and fill a role they don’t have, whether it’s a young man who comes here who may not have a father role, whether it’s a young girl who comes here and maybe has never had a big sister or a present mother.”

Boston also related a story that describes the impact a Boys and Girls club can have on a child.

She talked about an incident that happened during the Covid pandemic when their Boys and Girls club had to shut down to keep the kids safe.

Boston said that one of the kids tracked down where she lived, rode his bike to her house and knocked on her door. “He just wanted to know when the Boys and Girls club was opening back up because he really missed having dinner,” she said.

She explained the snack they got during their club days may be the only evening meal some kids get. Otherwise, they aren’t guaranteed having a fully belly before going to bed.

Mayor Keck originally brought the idea of starting a Boys and Girls Club in Somerset back home after a tour of the state during his run for governor. He said that he met a Barren County businessman named Patrick Johnson who was telling Keck about all the work he did in the area, but said the thing he was most proud of was the Boys and Girls Club.

Keck was given a tour of their facility, he said.

“There’s only two experiences in that entire journey traveling the state that I literally left with tears in my eyes. That was one of them,” Keck said. “You could just see the impact it was having on the kids in that community.”

It also has an impact on those who work with the kids, explained Isabella Martin.

Martin has been the club’s safety director since it opened, but will be leaving in a week to attend Harvard University.

She said she was honored to have been a part of the club.

“Having an experience like this has been challenging. There have been so many unexpected twists and turns, but that’s what every great story has. Our kids are the most incredible kids in the world. … We have future presidents, future Princeton grads. We have future Harvard grads. We have future mechanics (and) cosmetologists. We have our future mayors, legislators, and police officers. And we’re so proud we got to foster that here.”

Her friend and co-worker Nicole Upchurch, who was the program director but will be stepping up to take over the role of safety director after Martin leaves, said that she has had members of the public thanking her for working with the kids in the club.

However, she said she should be thanking the kids instead.

“Every day, they teach me empathy. They teach me patience and compassion. They teach me many, many things. And I think, through this program, I’ve become a better leader. I think if the community comes together to support these kids, we’re not only preparing ourselves for a better future, but we’re preparing ourselves for a literal better tomorrow,” she said.

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