By Tavon N. Thomasson
Special to the AFRO
tthomasson@afro.com
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) joined the Boys & Girls Clubs of Maryland on Jan. 28 at the Governor Calvert House in Annapolis to spotlight the organization’s role in youth development and its growing place in the state’s effort to combat child poverty.
At the organization’s annual legislative breakfast, which brought together state leaders, club executives, community partners, law enforcement and Youth of the Year honorees to celebrate recent accomplishments, Moore began his remarks by emphasizing that coordinated efforts across sectors are key to creating a better future for children throughout Maryland.
“We made it very clear coming on board that there was no piece of legislation we could pass that could do that,” Moore said during the event. “What we needed was for everyone to band together and play their role, to understand how necessary they are to be able to improve the lives and prospects for every single child in our state.”
Collaboration among these groups over the past few years has been accompanied by increased state investment. Moore said his administration has provided nearly $5 million to the Maryland Alliance of Boys & Girls Clubs, supporting more than 64 clubs across 15 jurisdictions statewide. He added that the state has also backed the opening of “nine new clubs and two mobile sites” in the past two years of his administration.
Timika Thrasher, CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Frederick County, said the increased funding and support have been instrumental in expanding the organization’s reach and enabling it to “serve more kids.”
“Prior to having a focus on growing our club and our footprint, there were a lot of communities that didn’t have Boys & Girls Clubs, so kids didn’t have anywhere to go,” said Thrasher. “All of these different areas really allow us access to the kids that need us the most.”
Following the event, Moore expanded on how community-based organizations fit into the state’s strategy to address child poverty, explaining why he sees them as a part of the overall solution.
“I’m in the seat I’m in right now because of coaches, mentors and pastors,” Moore said. “They helped me understand that the world was bigger than what was just directly in front of me. They’re the ones that helped hold my dreams up long enough before I had the shoulders broad enough to hold them up on my own.”
He continued, “If we’re going to be serious about issues like ending child poverty in Maryland, educational opportunities and uplifting our young men and boys, then you have to be serious about helping organizations like the Boys & Girls Club that are lifting them up every day in our communities.”
According to Moore, the focus on community-based organizations stems from listening to local voices.
(AFRO Photo / Tavon Thomasson)
“Part of the reason we’ve been so aggressive in funding Boys & Girls Clubs and other community organizations is because it’s the community that’s telling us, ‘This is what we need. This is what we want,’” Moore said. “All we’re doing as a state is being responsive to the needs the community is laying out.”
This approach is rooted in the state’s ENOUGH initiative, which empowers neighborhood organizations to inform policies based on community needs. Moore is a firm believer that these organizations are often best positioned to address issues such as generational childhood poverty because they work directly with residents every day.
“The thing that I love about what we’ve been able to build with ENOUGH is it’s not just about the fact that it’s working,” he said. “It’s about the fact that it is proving that our communities don’t need us to come save them.”
The effectiveness of the initiative is reflected in stories from youth honored at the breakfast, including Jared Jefferson, a 2025 Boys & Girls Clubs of Maryland Youth of the Year honoree, who said the organization has had a lasting impact on his growth and development.
“When I first went there as a freshman, I had a big ego because I was an only child,” said Jefferson. “Being at Boys & Girls Club was like [having] a second family. I was there to learn how to trust other people, be empathetic and help others. It helped me become a [better] person.”
Beyond the personal growth that Jefferson experienced, he also developed practical skills at the club, particularly improving his public speaking. Through a speech class offered at the club, he learned how to prepare, manage nerves and build confidence. Skills that were beneficial while speaking at the legislative breakfast.
Moore recalled when Jefferson visited his office, remembering how he told him he never thought he would see the inside of a governor’s office, a feeling Moore said he once shared himself. However, Moore said he shared a message with Jefferson that he hopes resonated not only with him, but also with young people across Maryland.
“I wanted him to know that every room that he goes into is a room that was just waiting for him to show up,” said Moore.
Moore said Maryland has real “momentum” in tackling long-standing problems like child poverty, but emphasized the work is still unfinished and that young people will be crucial to carrying that progress forward.
“For so many people, they see our young people as problems that have to be solved. I see our young people as the answers that just have to be unearthed,” Moore said. “I want all of our young people to understand how important a role they’re going to play in everything we’re trying to get done.”