Boys & Girls Club of Greater Durham to Expand, Change Name
DURHAM, NC – For 77 years, the Boys & Girls Club has been providing a safe place for Durham youth to learn and grow. The Durham nonprofit currently serves 130 children per day and operates as an after school program, athletic facility, and summer camp. Previously known as the John Avery Boys & Girls Club, the organization changed its name in 2015 to the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Durham to allow for growth throughout Durham County.
The Boys & Girls Club of Greater Durham is now realizing its expansion goal by merging with the smaller Boys & Girls Club location in Chapel Hill, officially becoming the ‘Boys & Girls Clubs of Durham and Orange Counties’ by the beginning of 2017. The joining of the two Clubs has been endorsed by the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, who has helped with the process.
Initially part of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Eastern Piedmont, the Club in Chapel Hill first acquired its charter in 2015 and now serves 50 children at Northside Elementary School. Over the course of the year, it became apparent that the merging of the two Clubs would benefit Durham and Orange Counties and help more youth.
The main building located at 808 E Pettigrew St. in Durham, named the Smith/Avery Complex, will remain the organization’s headquarters; the staff in Chapel Hill will be managed by the Durham CEO, Jerome Levisy.
Outgoing CEO for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Eastern Piedmont, Sarah Marion, believes that this will strengthen the organization and reach more youth.
The mission of the Boys & Girls Club of Durham and Orange Counties will be to inspire and enable all young people, particularly those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, and responsible citizens.