By Edmond Ortiz
Families who count on youth programming provided at the Boys and Girls Clubs of San Antonio Eastside Clubhouse are questioning a plan by the organization to close the facility.
What is happening
Debbie Powell, CEO of Boys and Girls Clubs of San Antonio sent a letter to patrons and partners of the organization’s Eastside Clubhouse, saying all programming there will be paused effective Sept. 30 because of “financial challenges.”
In her letter, Powell said the Boys and Girls Clubs of San Antonio is grateful for the relationships it has built with area families, businesses and other community stakeholders over the years.
Boys and Girls Clubs offer membership-based afterschool, summer school and summer camp activities and other programming for school-age youths.
Programs cover academic enrichment, social and character development, mentorship, and recreational sports and fitness. BGCSA has until now operated five standalone clubhouses, and another six school-based sites.
Many families and civic leaders have come to view Boys and Girls Clubs as vital community hubs and safe havens hat positively affect local children and teenagers, especially at-risk youth.
The sudden news of a pending stoppage at the Eastside Clubhouse at 3503 Martin Luther King Drive now has numerous community members worried about how children and teenagers could possibly get elsewhere the kind of opportunities that have been available at the clubhouse.
“We understand that this news will be difficult for many families and may create uncertainty over the weeks and months ahead. Please know that this decision was not made lightly,” Powell said.
“We carefully considered every option before determining that pausing operations was necessary under the current circumstances.”
Powell on Sept. 14 sent an internal memorandum to Eastside Clubhouse staff, telling them that they will remain employed through Oct. 2 as a result of an organizational reduction-in-force. Powell also thanked employees for their time and work.
What they are saying
Powell did not delve into the details behind the aforementioned financial challenges, as the Boys and Girls Clubs of San Antonio is a private nonprofit.
She added that the umbrella BGCSA organization is working with community partners to explore resources that could help member families during this transitional period.
The announcement about the Eastside Clubhouse closure quickly garnered a strong reaction online from clubhouse members and other area residents.
“There’s no way the funding isn’t there to keep Eastside open,” Syretta Davis said on a Facebook posting about the announcement. “The way they just impacted the lives of so many is insane.
Marquez Quinones added on Facebook: “The audacity to shut down such a historic landmark in the East Side of San Antonio, the building that has been open for so many decades. servicing and providing such a safe space for so many children of San Antonio, acting as a beacon of hope for the hopeless.
Other concerned community members are turning their attention to the BGCSA’s finances, and wonder whether the organization has larger funding issues. Some residents are also calling for some type of emergency assistance to help to reopen the Eastside Clubhouse and develop a plan to keep it operational.
District 2 City Councilmember Jalen McKee-Rodriguez posted a social media video Sept. 15, saying he was taken aback by the Boys and Girls Clubs of San Antonio’s decision to close the Eastside Clubhouse. He added that the city only leases the clubhouse facility to the nonprofit, which is responsible for maintaining the building and taking care of community programming.
The city’s voter-approved 2022 bond contained $3.75 million to help cover an assessment of the physical structure, and any needed improvements at the Eastside Clubhouse building. The same bond directed another $3.75 million to support similar measures at the BGCSA’s Calderon Clubhouse on the West Side.
According to McKee-Rodriguez, some constituents have raised concerns over reported financial mismanagement by previous organization officials, and that current BGCSA leaders are trying to address issues lingering from those prior decisions. He also said he reached out to Powell to see whether other local Boys and Girls Clubs locations are at risk of closure.
“If the East Side is asked to shoulder a disproportionate share of those cuts, I’m going to have a problem with that,” McKee-Rodriguez said in his video. “I also want to know what their actual operating budget is for the East Side location, how much it would take to reopen, and keep it operating sustainably.”
