The Newark City Schools bus doors swing open in front of the door of the Louella Hodges Reese Boys & Girls Club of Newark.
Jacob Palmer, assistant director of the club, holds the door open as eager children pass through on Friday, Sept. 27. The first four to enter jump to tell him about their school days. Palmer tasks one of the kids with drawing a birthday cake on the whiteboard, representing their fifth anniversary, or as they tell the kids, “the club’s birthday.”
The evening prior, the Boys & Girls Club of Newark, Ohio celebrated this five-year anniversary with a thank-you to the donors, a speech from former Ohio State University and Indiana Pacers basketball player Clark Kellogg, and a short video showcasing a day at the club.
At the event they showcased the kids’ art and included picture frames, on which club members signed their names as a ‘thank you’ in colorful markers.
“And I tell the kids all the time – this club has happened because of our community. There are people who care about you, there are people who believe in you and we are there to empower them,” Amanda Vozzella, the club’s market director, said in her thank-you speech at the event.
The past summer, some days the club would reach capacity — 100 kids at the club in one day. In the past five years, they have served over 700 kids. The club is open to anyone in Licking County, but members are typically Newark City School residents, because these members are provided bus transportation directly to the Boys & Girls Club through the school system.
After school, the club is open from 3:00 to 7:00 p.m., and the organization serves dinner each night. In those four hours, members of the club spend time shooting basketballs in the gym, running around on the playground, working on homework and participating in club programming — sometimes making art, meditation classes, anti-bullying workshops and everything in between.
“The thing we tell our members that is our primary concern is that one: the kids are safe. And two: they have fun,” Club Director Amy Sanders said.
In the past summer, they visited the pool at the YMCA, the skate park and participated in yoga. Their theme for the summer was “Heroes for Hope,” aiming to highlight impactful workers such as community firefighters. The kids also got to visit Hope Valley, where they learned about mental health and healing.
The summer hours are 8:30 to 4:30, and oftentimes the line of kids waiting to enter — giddy with anticipation — forms before the doors open. As soon as the staff opens the door, they all come running in.
“It’s loud, fast-paced and fun, but very organized,” Vozzella said. “People come in and say ‘I don’t know what I was expecting but I wasn’t expecting this,’ in a good way. They say it in a good way.”
Vozzella is pleased with the club nearing capacity all summer — but expanding the facilities isn’t in the cards just yet. Vozzella emphasizes that doesn’t mean expansion is off the table completely.
”If there is a need, a community need, then we will evaluate our next steps,” she said. “Who knows what the next five years will look like.”
There was a need for the club five years ago, as Sarah Wallace, chair of the Newark advisory board said.
“You go back to about 2018. We knew there was a real need in our community for a really safe, nurturing place for kids after school and also in the summers,” Wallace said.
According to superintendent for Newark City Schools and club advisory board member David Lewis, 70% of Newark City School children are economically disadvantaged.
“We don’t know what they are going home to, they may not have a meal waiting for them, they may not have a safe place to go. It’s just another opportunity to keep our kids safe,” Lewis said.
Doug Wolf, CEO of Boys & Girls of Club of Central Ohio talked about the impact of the Boys & Girls Club locations across central Ohio —not just in Newark.
“Generally, 54% of boys and girls club alumni say the club saved their lives,” Wolf said.
There are other organizations in Newark that provide after-school care and support for the kids of the community. According to Lewis, the Boys and Girls Club allowed for an even greater number of children to get more support and care for a low price.
The dues for the club are only a one-time $10 fee for the school year and a one-time $100 fee for the summer. Other summer care programs often are $100 a week or more for care during the summer. The affordable dues increase community accessibility to the club
Member dues are not what keep the club running, though: it’s the donors.
According to Vozzella, donors were asked to make a commitment to the club for five years before the organization officially opened its doors in Newark. Now that those five years are up, many plan to continue to donate because of the community impact and engagement they have observed.
“This is an organization that has brought people together. Engagement is about building community, it’s bigger than just the Boys & Girls Club,” said Jennifer Roberts, an advisory board member for the club.
According to Palmer, the youth voice is crucial in the club.
“The club to me is a really big proponent in youth voice. This club offers a place for the kids in this community to come and be heard, to share their opinions on things and for those opinions to be genuinely cared about and genuinely heard,” Palmer said.
Ajay Sanders, child of Club Director Amy Sanders, started attending the club when they were in fifth grade. Now, a 10th grader, they act as a mentor for the younger kids in the club. They said they enjoy watching the younger kids learn genuine kindness from their time at the club, as well as exploring new interests such as instruments and sports.
“I love that the club has given them courage to try something new,” Ajay Sanders said.
Ajay Sanders hopes a talent show will be held at the club in the future. They slipped it into the suggestion box with intent to showcase all the club member’s special talents or newly learned skills.
The club building, located in the old Mulholland school building on Maholm Street in Newark, was completely renovated before the club opened thanks to the initial investments made by donors and capital funding received from the state of Ohio.
While still maintaining the architectural structure of the old school building, the club emphasizes the fun that occurs in combination with learning.
The classrooms, lively and colorful, are designed with built-in calming spaces. They also have an expressive art room, filled with member creations.
The basement holds a fitness gym, with a few weights, exercise bikes and additional exercise equipment, a feature kids 5th grade and up can use.
The building offers a space for the kids to express themselves, learn and have fun. But, as Vozzella says, the life of the club isn’t in the building, it’s in the kids.
“At the end of the day, this building is just a building. It’s cool, it’s fun, but if there aren’t people in here then it doesn’t matter,” Vozzella said.
Vozzella said that having a daughter shifted her perspective when working with kids.
“My passion was there, but something shifted in me when I became a mom. If I see a kid going through something, I relate it back to being a parent. How would my daughter feel in this situation?” Vozzella said.
Her daughter, Bella Vozzella, has confidently declared her place in the club. Bella helps out in the kitchen and even knows how to work the front desk. At the thank-you event Thursday she meticulously listed out each staff member, expressing her gratitude.
“They made this club what it is today, they make it a fun and loving home and make the kids want to come every day,” Bella said.
In the club’s gym, there is a mural painted from one end to the other. The mural depicts kids throughout all stages of their lives, playing a sport, playing an instrument and learning from their peers.
Each figure in the mural is connected by an enlarged DNA strand, carrying the kids from the start of their journey to graduation and to becoming a leader.
“This is not just a club,” Amanda Vozzella said. “It’s kids coming in and telling you how their day was, getting fed, laughing and hugging. It’s kids that are learning new skills, playing sports, learning good citizenship, being thoughtful, being honest, learning good integrity.”
To Amanda Vozzella, the mural represents a goal of the club: growth. The club offers services to kids from ages 5-18. The mural shows how the club helps each member throughout the entirety of their childhood.
The mural features words or phrases that the club aims to teach their kids: honest, kind, accountable, loving, a leader, climbing, growing, taking a risk, and being bold.
“This is exactly what I want kids to see and what I want for our club,” Amanda Vozzella said.
Ella Diehl writes for TheReportingProject.org, the nonprofit news organization of Denison University’s Journalism program, which is supported by generous donations from readers. Sign up for The Reporting Project newsletter here.