BALTIMORE (June 6, 2024) – Boys & Girls Clubs of Metropolitan Baltimore (BGCMB) today officially broke ground on the Baltimore Ravens Boys & Girls Club at Hilton Recreation Center. The club is expected to be completed by September 2025.
Plans for the Club were first announced in early 2023 with the Baltimore Ravens and Stephen & Renee Bisciotti Foundation making a lead $20 Million gift to launch the project. Additional fundraising, permitting, and planning have occurred since that time, allowing today's groundbreaking to take place.
To date, an additional $12 million has been secured to support the construction and long-term operating of the facility. Investors include Under Armour, Davis Family Foundation, Sherman Family Foundation, Bunting Family Foundation, Kahlert Foundation, T Rowe Price Foundation, France-Merrick Foundation, Abell Foundation, the State of Maryland, and numerous individuals and more foundations. Fundraising is ongoing with $7 million- still to raise.
Once completed the Club will serve more than 2,000 kids, teens, and community members. Supporting partners include Torrey Smith's LEVEL82, Baltimore City Recreation and Parks, and Green Street Academy.
Plans for the Club include a multi-purpose athletic field with sports lighting, a teen lounge, a gym, an art room, a technology room, tutoring spaces, a kitchen, and indoor/outdoor community gathering spaces. BGCMB will provide daily after-school and summer youth programs that deliver outcomes for youth in four key areas: health and wellbeing, character and leadership, academic success, and life and work readiness. Additionally, key program partners will provide specialized programs based on the needs and requests of kids and teens. The new Club, like all BGCMB Club, sites is open to all youth ages 6-18 with registration.
With the leadership of the Ravens, BGCMB, LEVEL82, Green Street Academy, and Baltimore City Recreation and Parks have worked alongside Whiting Turner, Design Collective, and Cap Ex Advisory Group to bring an inspiring vision to life.
Jeff Breslin, President & CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Metropolitan Baltimore said: "Today is the next significant step in bringing the Baltimore Ravens Boys & Girls Club to the kids and teens of West Baltimore. The generosity of the community and our partners has been overwhelming, led by the Ravens and Steve and Renee Bisciotti. Following their lead gift, we are thrilled and honored that others like the Sherman Family Foundation have stepped up to support this project. Not only will we create, but we will sustain, a state-of-the-art place where kids and teens can learn, play, and ultimately reach their full potential in a safe and healthy environment. This is a model that only two other NFL cities have created, and we are honored that Baltimore will be a shining example to other communities and Boys & Girls Clubs nationwide.
Sashi Brown, President of the Baltimore Ravens added: "This has been a journey that was launched by the generosity of the Bisciotti Foundation and now this Club will really start to take shape and become a reality for this community. Football is a team sport, and this has been an amazing team effort with so many partners stepping up for the youth of our city. The next step will be cutting the ribbon on this amazing and special place."
"The Boys & Girls Clubs of Metropolitan Baltimore plays a vital role in the lives of thousands of young people in our City. Through their partnership with the Ravens and others, this new state-of-the-art recreation center in West Baltimore will open the doors of opportunity for even more children. I will continue working to support the Boys & Girl Clubs' critical work in Baltimore and throughout our state," said Senator Chris Van Hollen, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Larry Rivitz and David Warnock, Co-Founders, Green Street Academy stated: "Green Street Academy is excited to welcome the Baltimore Ravens Boys & Girls Club to West Baltimore as a critical partner in extending our work with teens, young adults, and their families. With a turf football field and indoor and outdoor basketball courts just steps away from our school building, our varsity athletes will finally have the home field advantage as will many other community partners in our combined networks."
About Boys & Girls Clubs of Metropolitan Baltimore:
We never take a single approach to help kids succeed. It takes caring mentors, such as trained Club staff. It takes a safe place, like our nine Clubs that are consistently there for the over 1,000 members we serve and 1,200 families we support. And it takes innovative, quality programs designed to empower youth to excel in school and lead healthy, productive lives. We do whatever it takes to ensure all kids have a great future. www.BGCMetroBaltimore.org
About Baltimore Ravens Foundation:
The Ravens' mission is to win football games, serve our fans and be a positive force in our community. The Ravens Foundation is committed to improving, encouraging and enabling the healthy development of youth in the Baltimore area, as well as other parts of the state of Maryland. The foundation focuses on programs that help youth, and in some cases their families, with various needs, including housing, hunger, educations, athletics, and mentoring. www.BaltimoreRavens.com
About LEVEL82:
Co-Founded by Torrey and Chanel Smith, LEVEL82 Fund leads with the pillars of Leadership, Education, Vision, Effort, and Love. LEVEL82 strives to create a gathering space for those who live, work and play in Baltimore City while developing strategically-curated programming to empower the community. Aligned with the mission to leverage the power of collaboration to enable families to reach their full potential, Torrey and Chanel bring their personal experiences, commitment, resources, and passion to the community. LEVEL82 programs are available at the Hilton Recreation Center for all ages, including academic support, athletic and enrichment activities, mental health resources, and social services. LEVEL82 works to create a more equitable society that everyone deserves. www.Level82.org
About Baltimore City Recreation and Parks:
Baltimore City Recreation and Parks is the city's leading provider of affordable, year-round leisure and recreational activities for residents of all ages and abilities. Beautiful parks, trails and waterways provide the perfect urban oasis. Baltimore City Parks and Recreation oversees 51 recreation centers, 23 pools, 120,000 trees, 4700-plus acres of parkland, 262 parks, 133 athletic fields, 138 playgrounds, 104 tennis and pickleball courts, 116 basketball courts, 32 historic structures, 25-plus miles of biking and hiking trails, 18 picnic groves, 12 pavilion groves, four dog parks and three skate parks. www.bcrp.baltimorecity.giv/welcome-rec-parks
About Green Street Academy:
Our mission is to create a pipeline of inspired, self-reflective, and well-qualified young people who are prepared to graduate, advance their studies, build careers, and sustain themselves, their families, and their communities. Our school was founded in 2010 and is a 6-12 public charter school located in West Baltimore and serving 875 students annually. www.GreenStreetAcademy.org
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Matt Williams
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