Community Helps Boys & Girls Club Rise from the Ashes

Community Helps Boys & Girls Club Rise from the Ashes Stronger Than Ever

Early one morning in November 2018, an electrical spark just below Phillip Mumford’s office started a chain reaction that transformed this community gathering place forever. Many people weren’t even at work yet as the fire swiftly swept through the main clubhouse of the Boys & Girls Club of the Northern Neck. Fortunately, no children had made it to the club yet, either.

“Within two days, the community pulled together to figure out the next steps with us,” says Executive Director Mumford.

The school system made spaces available for after-school programming, local businesses like Chesapeake Bank helped raise funds, and Northern Neck Computer Consultants set up laptops and a new phone systems for staff members.

“I had a laptop in my hand by 5 p.m. the day of the fire,” Mumford says. “Beyond that, we were able to save 10 years of data despite the damage to our server.”

By the following Monday, programs were open and operating, though in different locations.

“We knew kids would need a safe place to be during that critical 3-7 p.m. time frame, which is the riskiest time for teens and youth if they don’t have something creative and energetic to do,” Mumford says.

At the time, a capital campaign for building renovations and an expansion was already underway.

“The vision was to create a building that really allowed us to serve the way we wanted,” says Tina Hagen, former Development Director and current Publications Coordinator. “We planned to connect the clubhouse to the back barn and elevate the space that had been designated for the teens.”

The vision remained after the fire settled and programs stabilized. The leadership team decided with the help of architect Randall Kipp that moving forward was the best decision. With $2.6 million raised by the end of 2019, the Boys & Girls Club began demolition and looked ahead to a hopeful future.

As the rebuild began, the COVID-19 pandemic made its way to the region. Shutdown alerts spread and a new challenge confronted the organization.

“We started to realize as we talked to other clubs around the country, that this wasn’t going away very fast,” Mumford says. “We took a hard look at our mission and asked how do we do the basics when we can’t see the children in our building? Nutrition became our focus.”

Hagan says it was a massive undertaking that came with help from the community. Volunteers and local businesses helped compile healthy meals into bags that could be delivered and distributed at various pick-up points in the area. Between March and August of 2020, the club and its volunteers distributed approximately 31,000 meals and snacks. In addition, “Club on The Go” bags contained enriching and creative activities for children and families with help from agencies like the Lancaster Community Library, the Gardening Club of the Northern Neck, and more.

Other community groups like Dream Fields “became crucial” says Mumford. Here, the Boys & Girls Club was able to offer academic support for virtual schooling and host other unique and safe programs like a drone camp.

By November 2020, the administrative team was moving into its new home, two years after the fire. More programs are welcoming children on site and as COVID restrictions lift, more students will be able to visit the center in larger numbers. Local YMCA’s will help extend the reach of the Boys & Girls Club mission this summer through a swim program and more. More than anything, Marketing and Development Director Jill Sears says, the club wants to see its halls and doorways filled with community members.

“We really want to welcome the community here as much as we can,” Sears says. “We want our facility to be a home hub where organizations can meet, families can host birthday parties, and more. We have a beautiful space and we want our community to be able to use it because they helped us build it.”

Sears says the Boys & Girls Club plans to offer tours of the new facility this summer and hopes for a big grand opening event as soon as they are able.

Northern Neck Insurance presents a check to the Boys & Girls Club in October 2020.