Frank Callen Boys & Girls Club celebrates 100th charter year
17-year-old Savannah native Jamori Taylor was happy when he was announced as the Frank Callen Boys & Girls Club’s youth of the year.
Jamori has been a member of the nonprofit organization for 13 years, having joined after a tragedy changed the trajectory of his life forever; at the age of four, he’d found his parents dead in their home. His grandmother decided to put him into the club to help him shift his focus as he dealt with his new reality.
That decision from his grandmother has molded him into the person he is today: a basketball and football coach for other kids in the club, a teacher and a mentor.
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“[The Frank Callen Boys & Girls Club (FCBGC)] been a very good impact on me. It’s equipped me with life skills,” Jamori said. “They helped me deal with the loss of my parents, so it was really like an outlet.”
Now Jamori has made his mark on the legacy of Georgia’s first and oldest Boys & Girls Club as it celebrates its centennial charter year.
100 years of serving Savannah and Chatham County youth
Since its inception in 1917, the FCBGC has been focused on enabling the Savannah youth to reach their full potential and filling in the gaps that may arise from socio-economic challenges.
Originally known as the Savannah Boys Club, the club was founded by Savannah native Frank Callen. Today, the club works to address topics such as health and wellness, academic performance, and gang and gun violence. These current focuses stem from Callen’s history as an educator and probation officer, giving him the unique knowledge of how to address juvenile delinquency, especially among the underprivileged black youth in Savannah.
What began with just 15 boys between the ages of six and 20 in the basement of The Beach Institute African American Cultural Center has now turned into 300 average members per day. The club was recognized and chartered by the national Boys & Girls Club in 1922 and its members, as well as the club, have experienced much growth throughout the decades.
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“We graduate kids at a rate of about 98% and that has continued. We have a high support rate from our kids that we’re doing the right things,” said John Brooks, board chairman of the Frank Callen Boys & Girls Club. “They’re well on their way to becoming caring, productive citizens, and I think one of the most satisfying things to me is that those results from the breakdown of the Boys & Girls Clubs are among the highest in the country.”
The impact of the Boys & Girls Club in Savannah
According to a 2017 report by the national Boys & Girls Club, it hopes to raise its optimal club experience from 37% to 75% by 2025. The measurement of that experience looks at whether the club meets the developmental needs of youth by providing a safe , positive environment, access to fun and a sense of belonging, access to supportive relationships, meaningful opportunities and expectations and formal and informal recognition.
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For the past two years, FCBGC has been at 100%, said Brooks. “It gives me pause to say that what we’re doing here in Savannah is working as well, if not better than anyplace else in the country.”
Karen Hamilton started volunteering with the club in 1999 while in college. 11 years later, she becomes the senior unit director, strengthening her ties to the club and kids that she said made an impact on her.
“It’s kind of like when your passion meets your purpose,” Hamilton said. She said the FCBGC is important for the community because of the youth development skills it provides.
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The club offers a variety of programs such as an academic success program, a gang prevention program, a smart moves program that teaches kids how to resist alcohol and tobacco products, and programs that deal with physical activity, healthy lifestyles, sportsmanship, and financial literacy and educational technology.
Violent crimes continue to rise in Savannah with city leaders looking for ways to combat the recent gun violence that has plagued the City. Brooks said with the current climate of Savannah, the continued support of clubs like Frank Callen is important.
“You look at the news, you listen to the news, you read the paper and it’s the same thing every day. In fact, it’s getting worse. Kids are involved now with guns and gangs to the point where I’d say it’s sometimes unsafe to just see be out at night, and a lot of that criminal activity is being spawned by young people,” Brooks said. “And the thing that I think that is so important about Frank Callen is that those who are not our kids.”
The ultimate hope is that the club will be able to expand and reach more kids in Chatham County and improve the quality of life of the entire community. The goal is to serve up to 1,000 youth per day throughout the greater Savannah area.
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In 2021, the club purchased 15 acres on ACL Boulevard’s parcel right outside of Liberty City. Its strategic plans call for the development of a 35,000 – 40,000 square foot facility that will include a gym, pool, technology center, commercial kitchen, play fields and many more program amenities. The new facility will serve up to 500 youth per day and will also be available for community programming during non-youth service hours.
In order to achieve the goal, members of the club are calling for continued community support and volunteers.
OC Welch III is one of the sponsors of this new facility. Welch, the president of OC Welch Ford-Lincoln, said he’s glad to be a part of this much-needed expansion.
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“You have these kids that can’t just play ball in a park. They’ve got to have a place to go to and they’ve got to like the place when they get there,” Welch III said. “Someone’s got to teach children how to make choices instead of taking chances. Learn how to make a good choice instead of a bad chance.”
Laura Nwogu is the quality of life reporter for Savannah Morning News. Contact her at LNwogu@gannett.com. Twitter: @lauranwogu_