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March 10, 2006
ANDOVER, Mass.—The Lawrence Boys & Girls Club has appointed seven new members to its Board of Governors, including Phillips Academy Head of School Barbara Landis Chase. The thirty-six-member board is the primary decision-making body for the club, and the appointments were made during the board’s monthly meeting on January 21.
The appointments come just as the club has begun construction on a new 58,000 square foot facility, dubbed the Kelley Club in honor of Stephen J. Kelley Jr., which will replace its existing building. The new $8.5 million building will provide the space to support the many educational programs the club has initiated since the original building was first built in 1963.
“While sports and recreation are still an important part of the Boys & Girls Club’s program,” says Markus Fischer, executive director of the Lawrence Boys & Girls Club, “we are now much more focused on educational programs. To better support those programs, the new club will provide us with an educational center, an arts center, a science room, and a technology center.”
The club’s increased focus on educational programs makes the appointment of Andover’s Chase to the Board of Governors especially significant, adds Fischer. “We are thrilled to have her on our board. As a club, we provide lots of fun activities, but a major focus of the club today is to help kids succeed academically. And to have someone with Ms. Chase’s qualifications, someone who lives and breathes education, is just a great benefit for us.”
The appointment of Chase strengthens a long-standing partnership between the two institutions. For more than fifteen years, students from Andover who participate in the school’s community service program have played an important role in the club’s success, serving as volunteer coaches, homework helpers, and art instructors.
“I feel honored to become a member of the Lawrence Boys and Girls Club Board of Governors at such an exciting time in its history,” says Chase. “The new Kelley’s Club building rising up beside the old club building is a strong symbol of the strength and vitality of this remarkable institution. The first time I visited the club was with a group of Phillips Academy students who were there to work with club members as part of our community service program. From the first, I was deeply impressed with the importance of the mission and the quality of the work that goes on at the Club. Now, I am looking forward to working with the staff and other board members to advance that work.”
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