Prince George’s Councilwoman Tours Laurel Boys and Girls Club

Prince George’s County Councilwoman Mary A. Lehman, touring the beleaguered Laurel Boys and Girls Club Friday afternoon, said the county is caught in a balancing act in funding local non-profits.

Club officials invited Lehman (D-Dist. 1) of Laurel to the club after she gave grant funding to a transitional program housed inside the club last fall.

During the tour, Lehman said local nonprofits like the Boys and Girls Club are cobbling together money to survive.

“The county should do as much as it can. These are tough times—it’s a balancing act,” she said.

Lehman said the club has received more than $115,000 over the last year from the county, including funds from the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, grants from County Executive Rushern Baker, and a Community Development Block grant.

“In this economy, you have to have a variety of funding,” she said.

Lehman’s visit follows that of Baker, who stopped by the club in April and applauded officials there for managing to maintain the facility despite recent funding declines. 

During the tour, Baker said that funding nonprofits is a county issue.

"Clearly there is need," he said in April.

The Laurel Boys and Girls Club is the largest in Maryland but it operates on a shoestring and became the in parts of the club's facility.