For Lilly, the South Portland Clubhouse wasn't just somewhere to go after school. It was home.

She joined the Boys & Girls Club when she was six years old, shortly after her family moved to Maine from Florida. The youngest of five children, Lilly spent the next 12 years growing up at the Club; eating dinner with friends, playing in the gym, celebrating holidays, getting homework done, and building relationships with mentors who would ultimately shape the direction of her life.

Today, Lilly is helping create that same sense of belonging for another generation of Club Kids as Unit Director of our Portland Clubhouse.

Finding Her Place at the Club

Some of Lilly's favorite Club memories are the simplest ones: sitting down for dinner with friends and wondering what Jen would cook that night, Thanksgiving alumni dinners, Christmas parties, and plenty of time spent competing in the gym.

One memory in particular has stayed with her.

In fifth grade, Lilly won the annual "Hot Shot" basketball shooting contest at the South Portland Clubhouse. After she received her trophy, several parents joked that she had an advantage in the competition because she was playing on her home court.

Lilly didn't take it as a criticism.

"I took it as a complete honor and was so proud that they were calling the South Portland gym my 'home' court."

That feeling of having a place that belonged to her, and where she belonged, would become one of the most important parts of Lilly's Club experience.

A Place for Structure, Support and a Lot of Energy

Like a lot of kids, Lilly had plenty of energy growing up and sometimes struggled with where to direct it. At the Club, she found an outlet.

"The athletic programs offered in the gym provided me with the first sense of structure, consistency, and focus for that energy to be let out and shine in a positive way," she says.

That structure eventually extended beyond the gym.

Beginning in sixth grade, Lilly's parents worked with longtime Club mentor Jen to establish an after-school homework routine. Monday through Thursday, Lilly spent an hour in the homework room and had to finish her work before heading to the gym at 4:30.

At the time, it was probably just the thing standing between Lilly and the gym. Looking back, she sees something much bigger.

The routine taught her how to manage her time, prioritize school, and follow through on her responsibilities. Lilly went on to make the honor roll in high school.

But some of her biggest lessons came simply from watching the adults around her.

"I learned a lot about what it means to be a part of a community and a good community member through Boys & Girls Club," Lilly says. "Jen always put members and their needs first and always made us feel like it was our clubhouse."

"Someday, I Would Love to Be Like Dennis or Jen"

In 2015, Lilly was named Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern Maine’s Youth of the Year.

As part of the process, she was asked to reflect on what the Club had meant to her and where she saw herself going next.

In her essay, Lilly wrote that someday she would love to be like two of the adults who had helped shape her childhood: Dennis or Jen. Maybe she'd work in the gym. Maybe she'd even lead a Clubhouse.

Turns out, she was onto something.

With continued support from BGCSM, including several scholarships that allowed her to graduate from college debt-free, Lilly earned her bachelor's degree in social and behavioral sciences with a minor in family counseling.

Then she came back to the place where so much of her own story began.

Lilly was hired at the Portland Clubhouse and is now in her second year as Unit Director.

Just like Jen.

Creating That Place for the Next Club Kid

Lilly knows firsthand what it means for a family to have a safe, affordable, accessible place for their child to go while they're working. She knows what it feels like to have a snack and dinner waiting for you. To have adults paying attention. To have somewhere to burn off your energy, finish your homework, find your people, and begin figuring out who you want to become.

Now, she's one of the adults making sure today's Club Kids have that place, too.

And these days, the Club really is a family affair. Lilly's mom now works at the South Portland Clubhouse, the same place where Lilly spent so much of her own childhood growing up.

Lilly's story is a reminder that the impact of the Club doesn't end when a member walks out the doors for the last time.

Sometimes, they walk right back in and hold the door open for the next generation.