Sunday, June 29, 2025
Shocking News Follows Fun Jelleff Annual Barbecue
After a feel-good fundraiser barbecue on June 20 at Georgetown’s Jelleff Recreation Center at 3265 S St. NW — the site of D.C.’s largest Boys & Girls Club since the 1930s — Jelleff staff and board members got shocking news.
On Tuesday, they learned that the D.C. Budget for 2026 has erased the some $1 million in annual operating funds budgeted for the four Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington. Jelleff had been slated to receive some $610,000 of those operational funds.
“We hope the cuts aren’t a done deal,” Jelleff ’s director Bob Stowers told the Georgetowner. “Several of our board members stayed after the D.C. Council’s mark-up meeting on Tuesday to talk to all the council members individually, and to Ward 2 Council member Brooke Pinto, in particular. She has always been a strong supporter of Jelleff.”
“Council members seemed supportive of BGCGW, but they’ll need to find the funds in a greatly reduced 2026 fiscal year budget plan,” Robert Anderson of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington told The Georgetowner in an email. “BGCGW is asking that members of the community to rally again by calling or emailing each member of the Council in support of putting the funding back into the budget. Last year, hundreds of calls and emails to Council members really helped to make an impact before final budget decisions. Calls and emails need to take place within the next 10 days for the actions to be effective.”
Ward 2 Council member Brooke Pinto told The Georgetowner: “The programming that the Boys & Girls Clubs provide to kids from all eight wards at the Jelleff Recreation Center are a vital resource and exhibit the best of after school programming in our city. We are thrilled for the major $28-million renovation project beginning this year to build a state of the art new Jelleff Recreation Center. However, we have worked in partnership with the ANC, Boys & Girls Club, Duke Ellington, and many in the community to secure swing space at the former Fillmore School to ensure the programming can continue during construction. It is unacceptable that the funding was cut for this program and I am working hard — as I did last year — to restore this funding. Our kids deserve safe spaces to play and that is of paramount priority for me.”
The operational funds for the ongoing year of Georgetown’s Boys & Girls Club is separate from the reconstruction funds and projects approved by the D.C. Council in 2023. Demolition of parts of the old building is scheduled to begin the end at the end of August, according to Stowers. The project which will add another gym, amenities and features to meet ADA standards, is expected to take about two years.
“The Boys & Girls Club is about to sign a contract with Fillmore Arts Center at 1819 35th St. NW, next to Hardy Middle School, to house the Boys & Girls Club during the remodeling,” Stowers said.
At the June 20 barbecue, hosted by John and Kim Snedden of Rockland Barbecue, some 80 donors contributed funds for the clubs’ supplies and operational expenses.
The District Council plans to hold final votes on the budget in July. After that, by law, Congress must approve the final District budget.