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Boys & Girls Club of the Northern Neck plans summer program at former Washington Lee High School; seeks local funding
Summary
The Boys & Girls Club of the Northern Neck told the Westmoreland County Board of Supervisors it plans an eight-week summer program at the vacant Washington Lee High School and will seek local fundraising and grant partnerships to operate beyond summer.
Philip Mumford, executive director of the Boys & Girls Club of the Northern Neck, told the Westmoreland County Board of Supervisors during its work session that the club plans to run a summer program in Westmoreland County using space at the former Washington Lee High School and is seeking local financial and logistical support.
The club plans an approximately seven- to eight-week summer program beginning the week of June 9 and running through about July 25, Mumford said. The program would operate weekdays from about 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., offer breakfast, lunch and an afternoon snack, include weekly field trips and swimming lessons when available, and provide transportation for enrolled children.
Mumford said the club has held walkthroughs of the former high school and is planning to use roughly a quarter of the classroom space while sharing the gym and cafeteria. The club intends to run the summer session even though there is not yet a written agreement with Westmoreland Public Schools; Mumford said the club is proceeding in good faith and will operate the summer program if facility access is finalized.
The club described low family fees: a $10 membership and a $30-per-week activity fee for summer (about $6 per day), while high-school-aged participants (ages 13–18) are not charged membership fees. Mumford added that the actual per-child cost to operate the program is far higher than family fees: he estimated the true cost at about $2,400 per child per year after grants and targeted program funding are removed.
Mumford presented a draft local budget and said the Boys & Girls Club of the Northern Neck (BGCNN) has a regional operating budget near $3 million and currently serves about 925 youth annually across three club locations. For Westmoreland County specifically, he said organizers hope to raise roughly $80,000 locally this year through individuals, businesses and events and will pursue state and federal grants (including AmeriCorps and Department of Criminal Justice Services awards) and federal child nutrition program reimbursements (CACFP and SFSP) to sustain programming beyond the summer.
He described an initial summer staffing plan that would include a full-time unit director, a full-time program director, a part-time membership manager, 2–3 part-time youth development professionals and additional seasonal youth staff sized at approximately one staff member per 15 children. The club also said it could supply buses to assist with student transportation, and Westmoreland Public Schools had preliminarily agreed to provide bus runs from some districts if the program continues into the school year.
Supervisor comments focused on cost and local support. One supervisor asked for a “ballpark” figure for what neighboring counties pay; Mumford said partner counties currently contribute between about $10,000 and $45,000 annually depending on membership size. Board members praised the concept and noted potential benefits to parents and workforce participation.
Mumford requested a future opportunity to present a formal funding request to the board if the county wants to support start-up or ongoing operations. He said the club will continue grant applications and local fundraising in parallel and that local partnerships, including a steering committee of volunteers, will be part of the rollout.
If the county wants to host the club beyond the summer, Mumford said additional formal agreements and funding commitments will be necessary. For now, the club is planning the eight-week summer program and preliminary school-year offerings contingent on fundraising and finalized local agreements.
"I'm Philip Mumford. I'm the Executive Director of the Boys and Girls Club of the Northern Neck," Mumford said while introducing the club's history and regional operations.
The board did not take a formal funding vote at the meeting; members encouraged continued planning and asked to be kept informed of the club’s fundraising progress and any formal county funding request.
