Table of Contents
The Report Card That Changed Everything
From the Gym to Graduation—and Beyond
Healthy Living: Now a Core Requirement
Strong, Competitive Basketball—With Opportunity for All
Powered by Community: The New Balance Foundation
Beyond Basketball: Discovering New Passions
The Culture: Hard Work Pays Off
When the Boys & Girls Club of Lawrence first opened its doors, most kids came for one reason: basketball. Many were unmotivated in school—some failing, some in trouble, most convinced the classroom wasn’t “for them.” Program founders Steve Kelley and Billy Robertson saw an opening: if basketball was the spark, academics could be the transformation—and the Club could become a bridge to opportunity. In Steve’s own words, “We used what the kids loved—basketball—to help them see education is important… you can get somewhere with education. The first motivation was they wanted to play, so we used school to be the motivator for that.” That motivation proved to be transformative in more ways than one. Students who once struggled now make honor roll, captain teams, and mentor the kids coming up behind them. As an alum and our current Director of Operations, Manny Ayala says, “It’s more than basketball, it’s a family.”
Anchored by an over 20-year partnership with the New Balance Foundation—a cornerstone champion for Club youth—Academic Basketball has grown and expanded, adding Healthy Living as a core component and evolving in other meaningful ways. Their support keeps the program strong year after year and strengthens the Club as a whole, with resources flowing into other sports and learning programs, widening the opportunities our members rely on. This allows us to plan, grow, and say yes to more kids each year.
At its core, the program runs on a clear, consistent structure: weekly teacher reports, required study hall, and Healthy Living classes that build habits for life. Over 260 members participate in our Healthy Living classes. Of that, 168 of that youth: three 75-minute practices each week, with a required hour of study hall before or after. The result is a culture that builds discipline and confidence while putting learning, health, and teamwork at the center. Every member, at every skill level, is challenged and supported, and high expectations and reliable mentorship have become the model across the Club.
The Report Card That Changed Everything
It began with a determination to help one struggling member succeed—and it set a simple standard, built on a work-hard, play-hard mentality: classroom effort earned court time. Early on, a young member wanted to play but was failing classes and getting into trouble. Steve told him he’d only step on the court if his behavior and grades changed, linking the privilege of play to personal responsibility in school.
Then he created a weekly report card—a 1–5 rating from teachers in homework, classwork, conduct, and effort. The rule was simple: he would play only if all ratings were three or higher; any score below three meant sitting out. Each week, the bar rose—first all 3s, then 4s, then 5s—until that young man became an honor roll student and a model for his peers. The success was so undeniable that the report became the rule for everyone, turning a single story into the program’s backbone.
Players receive the report on Wednesday and turn it in on Friday, which keeps coaches and teachers on the same page and ensures members are both accountable and supported. “These kids are just as smart, just as talented as kids anywhere,” says Steve Kelley. “They just need the right support and guidance—and for others to believe in them so they can believe in themselves.” Siana, a program participant, recalls, “Weekly reports and study hall helped me stay focused in school because I had something to look forward to.” Over time, that routine built discipline and measurable progress—proof that hard work pays off.
From the Gym to Graduation—and Beyond
The goal wasn’t just to coach teams and win games; it was to change a mindset in the city. When this program started, many players weren’t graduating high school, let alone considering college. Today, Academic Basketball members have a 100% high school graduation rate, with students even earning scholarships to prestigious schools. “We had to find a way to change that mentality—that college is the next logical step, and Academic Basketball did exactly that,” says Steve Kelley. The shift didn’t happen overnight, but year after year the expectations, habits, and support systems compounded.
What that looks like now is a community where prioritizing education is the norm. Many members join in elementary school and grow up inside this framework. They lean into study hall, seek feedback on weekly reports, and use Club resources—alumni mentors, leadership programs like Torch and Keystone, and Healthy Living—to push past obstacles and reach their goals. In a very real sense, the Club helps raise them: students, athletes, and leaders who are hardworking, ambitious, and determined to change their lives for the better.
One of our longtime members, Wesley O., is an example of this. His journey shows how the program shapes focused, well-rounded youth. A BGCL member since age seven and now a 16-year-old Central Catholic sophomore, Wesley entered Academic Basketball in fourth grade and quickly saw that effort in one area fuels growth in another. The PACER—our timed shuttle-run fitness test—challenged him to become a better runner and motivated him to join his school’s cross-country and track teams. Leadership experiences in Torch Club and Keystone built the confidence to step forward at school, where he was elected class vice president two years in a row, and he pushed into the hardest classes with strong grades. He reflects, “Overall, I think it has shaped who I am and what I do, making me a better person, helping me make better decisions, and keeping me on the right path.”
Healthy Living: Now a Core Requirement
Thanks to the New Balance Foundation, the program expanded to include Healthy Living classes as a requirement for every member. One practice day each week is devoted to a nutrition class led by Jan, our Club nutritionist of 12 years. Over eight sessions each season, members don’t just hear about “eating right,” they cook together, taste new foods, read labels, compare portion sizes, and talk about how sugary drinks drain energy. The kitchen becomes a classroom, and classmates become teammates in building better habits. The message to our members is simple and powerful: what you put in your body fuels how you learn, how you play, and how you lead.
The recipes are drawn from Boston Children’s Hospital’s Fit Kit, providing nutritious dishes members cook and taste together. This keeps lessons practical and kid-friendly while also being genuinely healthy, so young people try foods they might not encounter at home. Members learn by doing; prepping snacks, assembling balanced meals, and discovering that eating well can be satisfying and affordable. Those small wins build confidence, which carries into choices they make on their own. “A lot of what I learned in that class, I apply now because it’s a lot of vigorous work I do when I run,” Wesley says.
The partnership with Boston Children’s Hospital also helps us prove growth, not just hope for it. We measure height and weight and run the PACER at the start of the season, then again in March, to capture progress in real numbers. The hospital team collaborates on data collection and year-end PACER tracking, helping ensure our kids get the activity they need and see their progress as well, which is incredibly motivating. It matters in a city where economic barriers can limit access to healthy food and consistent opportunities for physical activity. As Siana puts it, “The PACER test made me want to go harder and get a better score than last time. I did see improvement.”
Our commitment to nutrition—and to building lifelong healthy habits—continues at supper. In addition to our daily, balanced meals, this year we’re planning on implementing one extra weekly supper prepared with fresh, organic ingredients, so members regularly encounter wholesome foods they might not otherwise try. Supper becomes another touchpoint where health, community, and learning come together around a table. Over time, those meals reinforce what’s taught in class and practiced on the court.
Each piece is designed to carry beyond our walls—to homes, classrooms, and teams. Healthy Living is promoting healthier habits and lifestyles, and it exists because the New Balance Foundation believes in this program and in the young people it serves.
Strong, Competitive Basketball—With Opportunity for All
Excellence on the court is a hallmark at BGCL. We’re defined by preparation, high standards, and a team-first culture that pushes everyone to improve. That reputation has made BGCL one of the area’s most competitive and sought-after programs, drawing eager basketball players from surrounding towns, not just Lawrence. Players seek us not only for the level of play, but for the experience: daily standards, mentorship from coaches who’ve walked the same path, and the chance to belong to a truly strong team.
We earn that edge by developing every roster spot. We don’t trim, we teach. Large, purposeful practices and peer coaching create a fast-learning curve: newer players get guidance from those with more experience, who grow as leaders. Every member gets a jersey and a fair shot; minutes are earned the same way grades are—through consistent work, mastering fundamentals, communicating, and lifting the group.
A core strength of the program is that our teams are coached by BGCL alumni—graduates who once wore our jerseys and completed the program themselves. They understand the work and discipline it takes to succeed, so they’re more than coaches; they’re mentors invested in each player’s growth in the classroom and on the court. They don’t stop at drills: they visit schools, meet with teachers, and hold players to the same standard on homework as on defense, which makes accountability feel like care rather than punishment. When young people see someone “like me” set high expectations and keep them, it changes what feels possible.
The payoff is visible. Players improve month to month, confidence grows, and teams rally around effort and accountability. Young people come for the competition, the mentorship, and the strength of the team; they stay because the pathway to improvement is unmistakable. The habits built on the court—focus, resilience, and responsibility—carry into the classroom and beyond, leading to stronger transcripts, real opportunities, and a future they can see and pursue with confidence.
Powered by Community: The New Balance Foundation
Through the New Balance Foundation’s long-standing commitment, Academic Basketball has become a permanent pillar of the Club. Their support keeps core pieces—practice, study hall, and Healthy Living—strong and amplifies impact across the entire Club, from athletics to swim to enrichment programs. Sustained backing is what allows the program to grow stronger year after year, providing the pivotal support that feeds into our kids’ growth from first practice to graduation and on to future opportunities.
Because of this commitment, the program truly changes lives. It lets us reach more members, match ambition with resources, and anchor academics and wellness at the heart of everything we do. That’s how a program becomes a pathway.
The New Balance Foundation’s commitment goes beyond funding; it shows up in our gym, our classrooms, and our kids’ lives. Their employees regularly volunteer on-site, modeling the community-minded leadership we aim to instill and signaling that the broader community believes in our members’ potential. We are deeply grateful to the New Balance Foundation for its steadfast support of our kids and of the Academic Basketball program; its partnership expands access, strengthens pathways, and translates hard work into tangible outcomes—higher grades, healthier habits, and future opportunities.
Beyond Basketball: Discovering New Passions
The impact doesn’t end there. What often begins with basketball leads to discovery of new interests—dance and music, STEM like coding and animation, photography and film, literacy and leadership through Torch and Keystone, Adventure Club, and more. The Club becomes a place to explore, persevere, and grow, where trying something new feels exciting, not intimidating. Those chances to experiment build skills and confidence that stick.
Siana shares her experience, saying, “Everybody was very welcoming and supportive. No one judged you. It made me feel more comfortable, and it helped me get better.” Encouragement in the gym and the classroom opened doors she hadn’t considered, and the support she felt from staff and peers made it easier to explore outside her comfort zone. In addition to basketball and dance, she discovered that she loved volleyball, and now plays both basketball and volleyball for her high school. The change reached beyond sports as well; she found her voice, built friendships, and stepped into challenges with more confidence. “The Boys & Girls Club made me more social and confident,” Siana says. “It helped me open my eyes to new possibilities.”
That is the very aim of the Club: to equip young people with the tools, resources, and experiences they carry into life outside our doors—into their schools, their families, the Lawrence community, and beyond. When that is the goal, every day presents chances to learn, lead, and uplift one another. It’s the throughline connecting practice to possibility. It’s why so many journeys here start with a ball and end with a plan.
The Culture: Hard Work Pays Off
What started as a team mantra is now the Club’s heartbeat: Hard Work Pays Off. It greets members on a plaque in our main lobby—a daily reminder that effort unlocks opportunity and that standards, once set, are meant to be met. The phrase captures a culture where potential becomes persistence, and persistence becomes opportunity.
Steve said, “As the saying goes it takes a village to raise a child. It truly took a village—principals, Merrimack partners, prep schools, alumni coaches, families, funders like the New Balance Foundation, and hospital partners—coming together over years to support and raise these kids and this program.” With that village continuing to show up, a love of basketball becomes better report cards, graduation, scholarships, healthier habits, and young leaders who give back. Hard work truly pays off, and here it opens doors, changes lives, strengthens the community, and becomes a standard our members carry for life.