Boys & Girls Will Be Boys & Girls
In its heyday, many prominent people supported the Eastern Branch of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington. “It was a central charity of the NBA All-Star Game,” Capitol Hill resident Jim Myers says. “Clinton painted a wall there.”
Last month, however, far less credible advocates lobbied on behalf of the Capitol Hill club. On Nov. 27, Marc Borbely was on his way to class at the University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law when he spotted several kids soliciting money for the club. “‘Please help us try to keep the Eastern Boys & Girls Branch open,’” he remembers them saying. Borbely found their plea strange: The branch has been closed since August.
Kerrin Torres, spokesperson for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington, says, “If we did solicit funds, we’re not raising money for the Eastern Branch.” She says anyone who sees kids trying to raise money for the clubs on street corners or at Metro stops should call the organization immediately.
“It’s bittersweet that people are trying to raise money for the club we don’t have,” says Myers.
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11:13 am
Same old story, same location. 15 years ago I was working at the (now gone) Van Ness Kinko's and kids were copying and re-copying stuff saying they were raising money for the "Metropolitan Police Boys and Girls Club"'s football uniforms, and occasionally stealing folders, sheet protectors and the like to put it all in. They were trolling around the Metro station, hitting up passersby and sometimes on the Red Line itself. We figured this was bogus and called the police department. They said there was no such fundraising and if we see them around to quietly call back...
12:01 pm
I ran across a small-time Fagin who sent project kids out with overpriced charity chocolate bars
There is a legitimate community organization,Neighbors United, raising money to continue operation of the Eastern Branch club, and it has issued warnings about the scam.