MVYouth awarded a $1 million grant to the Martha’s Vineyard Boys & Girls Club during a ceremony held Wednesday evening at the Edgartown library.
The funding will help the Boys and Girls Club (MVBGC) construct a new, 25,000-square-foot facility on land purchased from the Norton family, abutting the club’s current location near the Edgartown School.
“MVYouth has been working with the MVBGC for many years to stabilize operations and envision a future headquarters to operate their critical youth programs. We are thrilled to be supporting them, alongside so many other generous individuals and community organizations, to undertake a project that will transform their program delivery, and offer the children they serve and their staff a bright and well-designed space to be in,” Lindsey Scott, MVYouth’s executive director, said in a statement announcing the award.
The club’s expansion plan is currently under review by the M.V. Commission, and the final siting of the facility is pending town approval in April, but construction is anticipated to begin in early summer of 2024.
With the $1 million award from MVYouth, the club still needs to raise an additional $1.5 million to meet the current $16.7 million budget.
The Boys and Girls Club has operated in its current facility — which officials say has some structural issues — for 46 years.
A press release from MVYouth writes that the club currently serves nearly 20 percent of all K-8 students on Martha’s Vineyard through its afterschool and other recreational and safety-net programs, and demand has only grown recently.
MVYouth says that the club is reporting a nearly 40 percent increase in membership since September 2022. Due to capacity constraints, the facility is nearing the limits of its ability to accommodate all the interested families seeking to participate.
Funding will also allow the club to expand its safety net programs. In recent years, the organization has expanded programs to include food insecurity support, visiting dental clinics, and mental health services.
During the pandemic, MVYouth also awarded MVBGC $200,000 of emergency funding to stabilize operations, as it did with several other youth-serving nonprofits.
With the most recent award announced Wednesday evening, MVYouth has now invested more than $16 million in grants to youth-serving organizations and educational scholarships to high school seniors and young adults in its first 10 years.
Great program — nice to see it properly funded.
The island is blessed to have these generous groups supporting our young. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, the best is yet to come.
MV Youth deserves cheers and so much credit for all the donations they give to the Island youth, directly and indirectly. Their continued support, which is their goal has had a great positive impact on the Vineyard.
Kudos to them!