Getting kids to participate in sports, says Ron
Fairchild, requires little arm twisting. Provide a ball and
a court, and the bigger problem might be getting them to
stop.
A tougher sell is to persuade a child to do his
homework or sit down and read a book, particularly a child
who receives little to no learning encouragement at home,
says Fairchild, who sits on the board of directors for the
Boys and Girls Clubs of Central Maryland.
Fairchild, who is also the executive director of Johns
Hopkins'
Center for
Summer Learning (formerly Teach Baltimore), views
sports like basketball as a learning opportunity. In fact,
Fairchild has been instrumental in setting up programs at
Boys and Girls Clubs across the country that preach the
message "Learn first, play later and then learn some
more."
Simply put, club members who want to play a sport,
whether it be basketball or kickball, have to finish their
homework first. For those waiting for the next game, racks
of sports books and magazines are on hand to help pass the
time. Exercise and learning--Fairchild calls it a healthy
combination.
"A lot of people think of Boys and Girls Clubs simply
as a place for recreation where kids can hang out, play
some basketball and be supervised by caring and responsible
adults," Fairchild says. "That is all true, but these clubs
also provide critical services and opportunities to enhance
learning and social development--activities like homework
help, tutoring sessions and fun educational games--that
really do help. These are things that will pay off down the
road. By participating in such after-school programs, these
youth are less likely to exhibit risky behaviors and are
more likely to be successful in school."
The Boys and Girls Clubs of Central Maryland is one of
the more than 250 United Way-affiliated human service
programs that seek to improve people's lives in Baltimore
City and the five surrounding counties.
The organization traces its roots back to 1860 in
Hartford, Conn., where a group of local women felt that
boys who roamed the streets needed a more positive
alternative. In 1990, the organization became the Boys and
Girls Clubs in order to recognize the growing number of
girls who were a part of the clubs' activities.
The organization now has 3.6 million members
nationwide and locations in all 50 states. The Boys and
Girls Clubs of Central Maryland currently operates three
clubs in Baltimore and three off-site programs and has
plans to open two more clubs within the year, in Arbutus in
Baltimore County and in Westminster in Carroll County.
The organization's mission is to "inspire and enable
all young people, especially those from disadvantaged
circumstances, to realize their full potential as
productive, responsible and caring citizens." To that end,
each club sponsors activities in five major programming
areas: character and leadership; education and career;
health and life skills; the arts; and sports, fitness and
recreation.
Prior to coming to Johns Hopkins, Fairchild served as
director of education programs at the national headquarters
of Boys and Girls Clubs of America. It was here he worked
on Project Learn, the organization's centerpiece
after-school education program. Begun in 1996, the program
focuses on homework help, tutoring and high-yield learning
activities in which club staff, parents and local schools
collaborate. Specifically, between 3 and 6 p.m. on
weekdays, the clubs hosts fun-injected educational
programs, many of them incentive-based.
"It was through Project Learn that many clubs
converted old storage areas in their gym into sports
libraries, where they put books and computers. It's all
about using something young people are already interested
in, like like their favorite sports team or player, as a
hook to engage them in reading and math-related
activities," he says.
During the university's annual
United Way
campaign, Fairchild encourages others at Johns Hopkins
to help organizations like the Boys and Girls Clubs,
whether it be through funding, volunteering or sharing
their expertise in program development. There are currently
plans to start a summer fellowship program at the Boys and
Girls Club of Central Maryland, where one Johns Hopkins
undergraduate each summer would learn nonprofit management
and fund-raising skills, working alongside the executive
director.
"We want to create more opportunities for college
students to become more engaged with our organization,"
Fairchild says. "I really believe in this organization. I
have seen firsthand the impact these programs have on the
lives of kids. I feel very strongly about doing what I can
to help support these clubs."
Frank Williams, the CEO of the Boys and Girls Clubs of
Central Maryland, says that, considering the specific
population they deal with, each club has an enormous
responsibility.
"Nearly 80 percent of our members come from families
at or below the poverty level, and 90 percent are from
single-parent homes. So, the need is great," Williams says.
"We would love for the Johns Hopkins community to be
willing to share their expertise with us. We are not
looking for people to commit three to four hours each day;
we know that most people don't have that sort of time. We
are more interested to hear about projects and programs
that we can implement here, to help us save on cost and
provide needed resources for our children."
Don Mathis, the executive director of the Boys and
Girls Clubs of Harford County, says that each club could
use more people like Ron Fairchild.
"He has really helped us develop interactive learning
programs for kids who are underachieving in the school
systems. We have a lot of need for innovation, and Ron has
provided this. He's great at coming up with ways to make
learning fun and attracting kids to it," Mathis says. "The
results are certainly there in attendance, behavior and
grades. Of our 340 kids, 99 percent are at grade level
and/or advanced to the next grade. Does this mean they
started to read and study by picking up books about Michael
Jordan rather than physics? Maybe. But the bottom line is
we encouraged them to read."
For more information about the Boys and Clubs of
Central Maryland, go to
www.bgccm.com.
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