2,000 youth will be served by only third club in the nation directly tied to an NFL franchise
BALTIMORE (June 6, 2024) – Boys & Girls Clubs of Metropolitan Baltimore (BGCMB) today officially broke ground on the Baltimore Ravens Boys & Girls Club at Hilton Recreation Center. The Club is expected to be completed by September 2025.
Plans for the Club were first announced in early 2023 with the Baltimore Ravens and Stephen & Renee Bisciotti Foundation making a lead $20 Million gift to launch the project. Additional fundraising, permitting, and planning have occurred since that time, allowing today’s groundbreaking to take place.
To date, an additional $12 million has been secured to support the construction and long-term operating of the facility. Investors include Under Armour, Davis Family Foundation, Sherman Family Foundation, Bunting Family Foundation, Kahlert Foundation, T Rowe Price Foundation, France-Merrick Foundation, Abell Foundation, the State of Maryland, and numerous individuals and more foundations. Fundraising is ongoing with $7 million- still to raise.
Once completed the Club will serve more than 2,000 kids, teens, and community members. Supporting partners include Torrey and Chanel Smith’s LEVEL82, Baltimore City Recreation and Parks, and Green Street Academy.
Plans for the Club include a multi-purpose athletic field with sports lighting, a teen lounge, a gym, an art room, a technology room, tutoring spaces, a kitchen, and indoor/outdoor community gathering spaces. BGCMB will provide daily after-school and summer youth programs that deliver outcomes for youth in four key areas: health and wellbeing, character and leadership, academic success, and life and work readiness. Additionally, key program partners will provide specialized programs based on the needs and requests of kids and teens. The new Club, like all BGCMB Club, sites is open to all youth ages 6-18 with registration.
With the leadership of the Ravens, BGCMB, LEVEL82, Green Street Academy, and Baltimore City Recreation and Parks have worked alongside Whiting Turner, Design Collective, and Cap Ex Advisory Group to bring an inspiring vision to life.
Jeff Breslin, President & CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Metropolitan Baltimore said: “Today is the next significant step in bringing the Baltimore Ravens Boys & Girls Club to the kids and teens of West Baltimore. The generosity of the community and our partners has been overwhelming, led by the Ravens and Steve and Renee Bisciotti. Following their lead gift, we are thrilled and honored that others like the Sherman Family Foundation have stepped up to support this project. Not only will we create, but we will sustain, a state-of-the-art place where kids and teens can learn, play, and ultimately reach their full potential in a safe and healthy environment. This is a model that only two other NFL cities have created, and we are honored that Baltimore will be a shining example to other communities and Boys & Girls Clubs nationwide.”
Sashi Brown, President of the Baltimore Ravens added: “This has been a journey that was launched by the generosity of the Bisciotti Foundation and now this Club will really start to take shape and become a reality for this community. Football is a team sport, and this has been an amazing team effort with so many partners stepping up for the youth of our city. The next step will be cutting the ribbon on this amazing and special place.”
“The Boys & Girls Clubs of Metropolitan Baltimore plays a vital role in the lives of thousands of young people in our City. Through their partnership with the Ravens and others, this new state-of-the-art recreation center in West Baltimore will open the doors of opportunity for even more children. I will continue working to support the Boys & Girl Clubs’ critical work in Baltimore and throughout our state," said Senator Chris Van Hollen, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Larry Rivitz and David Warnock, Co-Founders, Green Street Academy stated: “Green Street Academy is excited to welcome the Baltimore Ravens Boys & Girls Club to West Baltimore as a critical partner in extending our work with teens, young adults, and their families. With a turf football field and indoor and outdoor basketball courts just steps away from our school building, our varsity athletes will finally have the home field advantage as will many other community partners in our combined networks.”
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