Shedding rays of hope on many African-American children in single parent homes, Kingman Boys and Girls Club has thrived in the D.C. area for 42 years and continues to do so.
Kingman provides educational, cultural and interactive engagements in athletics to young people ranging from ages five to 18. Their recreational facility, where they conduct activities and programs, is located in the heart of D.C. near Logan Circle. The building itself was once a carriage house for Abraham Lincoln's brother and is now historically preserved. Inside the building are bright painted walls adorned with pictures of Kingman's historic past along with artwork created by the students. In each room there are collections of toys, books, study material and a basketball court. The environment is family-like, giving each child a feeling of a home away from home. Kingman's main mission is to ensure that the young people are successful and socially responsible adults in the future.
The program has recently become affiliated with Howard University students. The education director at Kingman, Lloyd Mayes, encourages students to participate in the organization as a tutor for a child in need. Mayes emphasizes what huge impact college students can have on middle and high school students.
"Having young black college students as tutors gives hope to kids who never really thought of attending college or even thought it was tangible," Mayes said.
Essentially, Mayes is the first education director for Kingman, so he stresses the importance of better education in the D.C. community by enforcing a healthy, well-rounded experience at Kingman, breaking kids out of negative habits at school.
Tutoring at Kingman has recently begun, with tutors only required to spend a minimum of two to four hours a week with a child; the organization is now looking for new tutors.
Previous tutor at Kingman, Lyshay Lewis, a graduate student in sociology, expressed the importance of giving back especially in the Howard community.
"Tutoring had a positive effect on my tutee because he looked forward to seeing me every week," Lewis said. "He was more like a mentee and we still keep in contact till this day."
She also described her tutoring experience as eye opening. "I don't get a chance to interact with young children often. So for me to see the positive impact I can have definitely inspires me to tutor again this year."
Chanice Brown, junior communications sciences and disorders major, noted how helpful it was that the Boys and Girls club provided transportation to and from tutoring. The transportation is provided at the time in which both tutors and kids are scheduled to be at Kingman. Brown was scheduled to come in every Monday.
"My kid struggled with math and reading. By the end of the tutoring session, I saw a huge improvement," Brown said.
Brown decided to become a tutor because she saw an advertisement in the lobby of the Howard Plaza Towers, so she took the offer and this experience has since made her feel good to give back to the D.C. community.
The importance of giving back to the community in which you came from is important at Kingman because Mayes is a firm believer of giving back due to his personal experiences.
Once a basketball player in Europe, Mayes traveled the world and eventually ended up at George Washington University. Now he is dedicates his gifts to the young people at Kingman.
"What good is a gift if you don't share it with others," Mayes said. "Previous students of Kingman are required to come back to the Boys and Girls Club and share their experiences from their time at Kingman and how those experiences shaped them into the people they are today. It is part of the program."
The diligence and consistency of Kingman has encouraged many kids to grow up to be successfully motivated adults and to give back to Kingman and their community through service.
Kingman Boys and Girls Club is a staple in the community and through its continuous efforts in the education program, its positive message will only increase.
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