Boy's & Girl's Club: Greater Hampton Roads Unit

Fantastic experience: I love working here I was a club kid now I’m a employee. With all that I have going on, this job keeps me on my toes and teach me a lot about my worth

Fantastic experience: My kids loved it here. They have the best hours for working parents and the staff is loving and firm and gave my kids the opportunity to make great friendships while learning and have a blast. My kids will be back every summer!

Fantastic experience: I have to admit, I was wary to send my children here, because shootings and crime seem to be increasing. But if I hadn't, they would have missed out on such an opportunity. The staff is caring and supportive of the kids, but what really impressed me were the older kids. Every single one of these kids' parents should so incredibly proud of how responsible and kind these teens are to younger kids. I was concerned that the older kids might not be careful about what they said around the younger ones, or at the very least, that they might be hurtful in trying to avoid them. Honestly, some of these teens were better with the children than many teachers I've seen. These were TEENAGERS who were patient and supportive. They're basically unicorns. Obviously, this program works, because this wasn't a case of one or two of the teens... this was what I typically saw. In one instance, a teenage girl was surrounded by a small group of younger girls, probably between six to nine years old (including my own). It was your typical case of little girls who idolize the older ones, which can be exhausting for anyone. This young woman was talking to each girl in turn, making sure to respond to them to show she had listened, and never lost patience once. I can't even lie; I was ashamed of myself, because she could've made us all look bad. You could tell this was the norm when you saw the younger kids saying goodbye... there was never any hesitance from the kids in running up to any kid or staff member to get a hug or to talk to them. The staff here can be very proud of the atmosphere they've created for these children. I would say that all of the kids seemed like siblings, but let's face it: siblings don't interact or get along that well. I really hope that the NNPD does more to reduce crime in the area, because these kids deserve so much more. It would be wonderful if this facility was upgraded and expanded, because there is truly a sense of community here.

Fantastic experience: A graeat place foe children to learn and share in the fun. Great summer and after school activities. The sports program is exceptional for the basketball and football fanatics. Their teams are awesome.

Fantastic experience: I use to attend this club when I was a boy. It provided me life lessons that have stuck with me today. I learned not everyone can be your friend. Also, not everyone from Downtown Newport News is bad. During my time at the club, I learned how to swim, play pool, checkers, basketball, video games, football, and other things. Instead of avoiding this club maybe we need to volunteer there to show the youth that there is more to life than the stuff they see out on the streets.