The Boys and Girls Club hopes to promote the social, educational, health, leadership and character development of boys and girls during critical periods of their lives—a hard goal to achieve without a building.

The Boys and Girls Club of West Alabama doesn’t have one anymore. As the April 27 EF4 tornado tore through Alberta City, it took everything the club had with it. That led a group of students from the University of Alabama, Stillman College and Shelton State Community College to band together to help out and provide comfort to members and their families.

“We arrived on the scene, and what we saw was complete devastation,” said Rachel Wilkins, the philanthropy chair for Alpha Omicron Pi. “Most of the damage was to the gymnasium, and all that was left of it was the framework. To make matters worse, they got looted right after the tornado, so all of their valuable items were stolen.”

Many UA students, specifically members of greek organizations, volunteered to clean up the area as well as help the club move to a new location.

“We’ve tried to volunteer our time as much as possible, but what they need are funds in order to rebuild,” Wilkins said. “They were able to get back on their feet to continue operating their program, but it’s still an ongoing process.”

Wilkins said it was crucial to get the club to operate again because the kids needed to have something to go back to after the tornado. It was actually the first building rebuilt in Tuscaloosa.

“It was different for them in the beginning, because the young kids had to experience something they never experienced before,” Wilkins said. “Many of them lost family members and homes. It was important to get the Boys and Girls Club re-opened so the kids would have something to go back to.”

Kay Rainey, Philanthropy Co-Chair for Chi Omega at UA, said since the Boys and Girls Club is their local philanthropy, they were some of the first to volunteer with the relief efforts.

“Our sorority raised more than $9,000 for the Boys and Girls Club after the tornado,” Rainey said. “Although their insurance paid for most of the building, we knew that they could use the money for improvements, which were badly needed in the first place.”

She said the sorority members and alumni also collected board games and toys for the kids to play with that had been lost in the tornado.

Stephen L. Miller, the Senior Unit Director for the Boys and Girls Club of West Alabama, said they received a tremendous outpouring of support from the University.

“The students coming to help us after the tornado helped us to provide a sense of continuity, so that even though the building was damaged, the parents and members knew we were still here,” he said.

Miller said students actively participated in two major relief efforts located on Greensboro Avenue and at Snow Hinton Park to distribute school supplies, food, water, clothing and first aid kits to those in need. Miller said students helped the Boys and Girls Club find the members and parents who were affected by the tornado so that they could provide help.

“I am actually a graduate of the University, and we continue to partner with them,” Miller said. “We really appreciate all of the support we have received, especially from Dr. Witt and his administration. He and his wife have been instrumental in helping the Boys and Girls Club with all that we do.”

Boys Clubs were first established in New England in the 1860’s by groups of people who realized there was a need for a non-sectarian organization providing after-school and evening activities and leadership for less-privileged young males.

The national organization changed its name to the Boys and Girls Clubs of America on Sept. 12, 1990 to better identify the youth it serves, according to the website.  Today, over 3,000 Boys and Girls Clubs are located across the nation where they seek to serve all children.  Currently, more than 3 million children are served throughout the nation.