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Developing character and leadership skills is a key focus area of the Boys & Girls Club. It is also the reason that CEO Stacie Rohn reached out to Martinsburg High School teacher Derek Gallagher at the beginning of the school year about a potential partnership. Gallagher, who teaches the Martinsburg High School Leadership Class, jumped at the opportunity for members of his class to get involved at the Martinsburg-Berkeley County Club.
The students spent time at the Club on the Day of Caring planning a calendar of activities they would coordinate throughout the school year. They kicked it off in October with pumpkin carving, lacrosse, and dancing.
The partnership is a great way for the high school students to develop their leadership skills while also serving as role models to the younger Club kids. It has also introduced new and creative activities at the Club!
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Behind the Blue Doors:
Meet Our Board
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Andy DiMagno started coming to the Martinsburg-Berkeley County Club when he was a kid to play basketball and lift weights. As an adult, he still comes to the club to do some heavy lifting, but now it is to provide support for the staff and the kids however he can.
Andy recently served as President of the Board of Directors, and
said, "I was taught by my parents to give back to the community. It's in my DNA. I want to help create a better place for our children."
Andy is the owner of DiMagno Consulting, a full service Engineering and Surveying Company and said he hopes to leave the Club a better place than when he came. "I want to ensure we are a full-service club for all children. I want to ensure that any child who wants to come to the Club is able to.
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An Award for DEI Initiatives |
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The Boys & Girls Club of the Eastern Panhandle (BGCEP) was awarded the Roxanne Spillett Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Honor Award at the Boys & Girls Club Midwest Leadership Conference in St. Louis, Missouri in October. The award, which was named after the first female President and CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of America, recognizes a Boys & Girls Club that advances diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and that lays the groundwork to build sustained and supportive relationships that youth need to thrive. BGCEP board member, Dr. Chiquita Howard-Bostic, a Sociology Professor at Shepherd University, nominated the Club for the award.
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“The fact that Dr. Howard-Bostic nominated us demonstrates how committed the Club is to be ensuring that every youth and staff member is not only welcomed but appreciated for being unique,” said CEO Stacie Rohn. “Dr. Howard-Bostic herself has been recognized as a strong advocate for DEI and has provided training for board, staff, and members.”
As part of the nomination, Dr. Howard-Bostic outlined how the Boys & Girls Club has taken a comprehensive approach to addressing diversity, equity, and inclusion through training, board and staff recruitment, and programming. The nomination highlighted a day-long training for youth, including those from other community organizations, with the goal of enhancing communication skills, social decision-making, and self-reflection.
“Ultimately, we want to ensure that our next generation has the tools to address social justice and understand the importance of advocating for others,” said Rohn. “Our kids need to recognize that they have a voice and that other kids are observing how they treat others.”
After receiving the award at a regional level, the Boys & Girls Club of the Eastern Panhandle will compete with five other regional winners for the top national award.
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In January 1998, the Jefferson County Boys & Girls Club opened its doors at Zion Episcopal Church in Charles Town.
In October, 2023, opened its doors to the public to celebrate 25 years of serving Jefferson County youth .
As part of the celebration, staff, volunteers, youth, and even the first Club Director, Tim Grove, showed their appreciation of the Club's growth by looking through old photos as well as joining current members in doing STEM activities.
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The Jefferson County Club was originally chartered as its own nonprofit organization, and has been at the same location since 1999. At that time, the Focus Coalition gifted the old Maytag building to the Club, but it was just a shell. While the first renovations to build a kitchen, bathrooms, and learning lab were being done, programming was held in portables on the site.
Programming moved into the Club in 2001, and game room renovations were completed that year.
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In 2006, the Jefferson County Boys & Girls Club merged with the Martinsburg-Berkeley County Club and the Morgan County Club to form the Boys & Girls Club of the Eastern Panhandle. Since then, the Club has continued to serve youth ages 6 to 18 and to constantly strive to address the needs of our kids. |
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Our Club is also in Schools! |
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Sponsorship Opportunities |
The Boys & Girls Club depends on sponsorships to fill our funding gap. We have numerous sponsorship opportunities that allow businesses to show how much they care about our children's future. Please review and share those opportunities to help us keep smiles on kids faces!
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Round Up For the Boys & Girls Club |
Please remember there is another easy way to give to the Boys & Girls Club: round up!
A "Round-Up" is the term to describe the spare change captured by automatically rounding up your transactions to the next dollar when making a purchase with your bank card. Your bank account probably won't even notice the difference - but our club will!
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The Boys & Girls Club of the Eastern Panhandle relies on donors to help us keep our doors open. |
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Our Mission: To enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens.
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