Boxing was part of the solution when what would become the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Fort Worth started in 1926 at the Panther Boys Club. It was a way to keep disadvantaged boys off the streets and teach them the discipline and focus that they couldn't get anywhere else.
Boxing hasn't been a part of the program for decades - with one exception. That's at the annual Boxing at the Ballroom event held Aug. 23 this year at the Renaissance Worthington Hotel, featuring professional boxing provided by Paulie Ayala Productions. Ayala, a two-time bantamweight world champion, owns the famed University of Hard Knock's gym in Fort Worth.
Boxing in the Ballroom started 14 years ago in homage to the club's early days and has raised more than $2 million over time. It is a popular and successful event, says Daphne Barlow Stigliano, president and chief professional officer of Boys & Girls Clubs.
"For those supporters who have a passion for the sport, this is a must-attend event," she said. "Even for those who may not know much about the sport, this event can be very entertaining."
But it is all about the mission of the organization. Boys & Girls Clubs serve more than 14,000 youth ages 6-24 years old annually through six branches and nine gang-intervention sites - the Club's Comin" Up Gang Intervention program - in local schools and in the community.
Of those served, 93 percent advance to the next grade level on time. Pre-college programs - Upward Bound and Educational Talent Search - boast a 98 percent high school graduation (of which 97 percent are accepted into college and 76 percent enroll).
It really is a club - with a $10 annual membership fee. But no child is turned away because he or she doesn't have the money to pay.
It's hard for Stigliano to single out a single most important element of the Boys & Girls program.
"I would say that our youth absolutely crave consistency since it is not uncommon for their lives to be in transition," she says. "We are located in the communities where the youth are. We are open and available consistently. We are staffed with people who are passionate about this mission."
Just being there provides young people with opportunities and dreams they would not have otherwise had.
If money were no obstacle, the organization would accelerate implementation of its strategic plan and expand, Stigliano said.
"Our niche is all about changing the odds for our members in a real way through academic success, healthy lifestyles and good character and citizenship," Stigliano said. "The Boys & Girls Club is supremely focused on meeting the academic, health and citizenship needs of our youth who are living in the most disadvantaged circumstances. We are intentional and enthusiastic about creating environments that incorporate both engagement and learning."
The Rotary Club of Fort Worth established the Panther Boys Club to give young men focus and to have a place to spend their afternoons. In 1935, the Fort Worth Boys Club was established to address the problem of delinquency on the North Side. The effort to serve both boys and girls merged into a single operation in 1990.
The problems today are much the same as the problems that led to the original founding of the effort. But, like a prizefighter, focus, training and discipline can address them.
"The youth of our community demand our attention and resources," Stigliano said. "Investing in the future of our society now is a critical responsibility we all share, regardless of where we live and work. Together these big social concerns can be conquered."
