The Boys and Girls Club of Greater Cincinnati is aiming to increase youth development across Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky through a $50 million capital campaign titled “A New Generation.” Funds will go toward renovating and building new facilities, expanding programming and investing in staff.
About $46 million has been raised since the campaign started in 2023, said Austin Schiff, vice president of development for the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Cincinnati. The campaign dedicates $23 million for renovations and building new facilities, $20 million to expand programming, staff and operations; and $7 million to place in endowment and capital reserves.
Two new facilities are providing workforce development programs for teens. The Boys and Girls Club has been pushing to expand those mentorship programs in recent years, and new funding makes it possible, Schiff said.
Those programs are already underway at the new Richard. T. Farmer Club in Villages at Roll Hill, which opened in April. The 22,000 square-foot facility serves students kindergarten through 12th grade, but the second floor is dedicated solely to teen workforce development.
In September, officials broke ground on a 10,000 square-foot facility in Price Hill specifically geared toward workforce development. The Youth Workforce Development Center will serve more than 150 teens annually.
Workforce programming aims to provide hands-on experience to students who want to learn trades, with corporate partners providing training in skills like carpentry, mechanics, plumbing, nursing and electrician work. Teens can also explore other pathways, like higher education and military service, as staff guides them on a path to high school graduation.
“We want to meet (students) where they are and be that holistic one-stop shop,” Schiff said.
Construction on the Youth Workforce Development Center in Price Hill is expected to be complete in September.
These existing sites will be renovated:
- Clem and Ann Buenger Club (renovations underway).
- Larry and Rhonda Sheakley Club (renovations underway).
- Dudley S. Tapp Club in Avondale.
- Jeff Wyler Club in Clermont County.
Covington’s Chase and Cole Fischer Club was the first site to undergo renovations. It reopened in June 2024.
Boys and Girls Club of Greater Cincinnati loses some city leverage funding, but still on track
Schiff said the organization recognized funding from government entities would not be a significant portion of its annual operating income. Money from those sources has been temporary or start-up seed money and not sustained year by year.
Cincinnati City Council cut the city’s fund for leveraging external organizations by 2%. Officials from those organizations testified to the city’s budget committee before final appropriations were made, including Boys and Girls Club CEO Bill Bresser.
Schiff noted those government dollars were not contributing to the new builds in Villages at Roll Hill and Price Hill. The organization operates on 85% private donations, and has ensured funding comes from diverse sources so it would not have to rely on government money, he said.
Follow-up questions from Documenter Erin Couch:
- What factors are taken into consideration with leverage funding to external organizations?
- What services will local nonprofits cut as a result of their own budget shortfalls?
- Because the mayor plays a large role in the budget process, why was Mayor Aftab Pureval not in attendance?
