Boys and Girls Town seeks renovation funds

Boys and Girls Town of Missouri Central Missouri — Columbia Campus announced a capital campaign Tuesday to begin raising money for the second phase of renovation to its Columbia campus on South Bearfield Road.

“Ninety-one people, thus far, have contributed to the campaign, and we’re looking to expand that number,” said Vincent Hillyer, Boys and Girls Town of Missouri president, who asks Columbia residents to keep contributing.

The campaign has raised $2.2 million of the $3.5 million it needs for the renovation, said Paula Fleming, central regional vice president for the group. The organization’s mission is to provide stability and support to youth who have experienced difficult childhoods. The remaining amount still needs to be raised, and Boys and Girls Town of Missouri is asking for local support.

“We need a community where we could better serve the needs of our kids,” Fleming said.

To meet the demand for facilities that provide special care and housing for children that need it, the campus is undergoing a two-phase renovation. Currently, many children are relocated to areas far from environments with which they are familiar because of limited numbers of facilities like Boys and Girls Town. When completed, the Columbia campus, which houses 24 children ages 10 to 21, will have two boys and two girls cottages, which will house a total of 48 children, an administrative cottage and a mess hall.

The group hopes to complete the project sometime in 2007, Fleming said.

At a reception at Grand Cru Restaurant on South Providence Road, Mariel Liggett, co-chairwoman of Boys and Girls Town and co-owner of Grand Cru, thanked the many supporters of the Columbia campus.

“The real heroes are the people that run this facility,” said “Tiger” John Cleek, president of Cleek’s Appliances and Home Furnishing. He and his wife, Ann Cleek, made a five-figure donation to the campus.

Cleek said that he supports Boys and Girls Town because it gives the children involved “a second chance at life.”

Another recognized at the event was Wes Stricker, who made a $100,000 donation. Stricker, who has been involved with Boys and Girls Town of Missouri since his father worked with the original campus in St. James, continues to work with the children as a doctor, particularly working with allergies.

“I really applaud their efforts and what they stand for,” Stricker said.

The Columbia campus, located since September 2005 on almost six acres on South Bearfield Road, was originally part of Woodhaven Christian Home for Exceptional Children. Right now it has three cottages: one for boys, another for girls and the third for administration.

“Since we’ve moved out here, we’ve had a waiting list, so it’s really important we complete our campus,” Fleming said. “This is something that’s very much needed in our community.”

Boys and Girls Town of Missouri, which is unaffiliated with Boys and Girls Towns in other states, provides residential services that prepare youth to return to a less restrictive environment after they are released from the program.

“Our kids are fragile,” said Rebecca Nowlin, residential director of the Columbia campus, referring to their emotional state. “Life almost did them in.”

A majority of the children and teens who live in Boys and Girls Town have histories of abuse and neglect that caused them to develop self-destructive behavior. Some of the children have been abused several times in several places, Nowlin said.

“We really try to help them stabilize their behavior,” Fleming said. “We are what’s called an intense service provider.”

“As young people come in for treatment, our goal is to get them back home or to their care provider,” Fleming said.

Most of the youth involved in Boys and Girls Town have experienced multiple placements, including foster and adoptive care. Most are now in state custody. Youth can enter the program through referrals from parents, insurance companies, the Missouri Department of Social Services and other state agencies.

Most children being helped are level-three or level-four at-risk children, Fleming said. A level-three child is one who needs intermediate treatment, while level four signifies the need for intensive treatment. A child who can remain in foster care is usually level two or level three. The children at Boys and Girls Town tend to have greater needs than children in foster care.

Children rated at levels three and four need the most support and stability, Fleming said. These levels suggest children are more likely to run away, hurt themselves or engage in substance abuse. These behaviors can lead to emotional and mental health issues, she said.

In addition to improving the likelihood of success for the children through expansion, Boys and Girls Town has an agreement with the Columbia Public School District in which the district provides teachers to educate the children on site.

“The Columbia Public School District now has a classroom on our campus,” Fleming said. “The agreement has been in effect for a year but was not official.”

The school district focuses on teaching, while Boys and Girls Town focuses on mental health, including doctors’ visits.

Nowlin said advances might look small to others but are a big deal to Boys and Girls Town. “Sometimes we have to redefine what success is,” she said.

One success Fleming mentioned was that three residents now attend school off-campus, at Columbia Public Schools.

In 2005, Boys and Girls Town of Missouri as a whole served about 4,300 children and families. Of the children, 84 percent were able to leave the residence and move to a less restricted environment, with almost 58 percent reuniting with one or both parents.