On Tuesday, April 3, 2018, a panel discussion was held in the Mckinley Building on the campus of American University. The discussion, titled “Get To Know Boys Town,” covered the impact the local nonprofit Boys Town has had on the lives of youth and their families in the past 25 years. Boys Town is a 501(c)(3) social services organization that helps at-risk boys, girls and their families, and there are nine locations around the country. Originally, there were four panelists slated to take part in this event, but at the last minute, a former Boys Town youth had to drop out because she was starting a new job, which was great news, and showed how Boys Town helped transition her into adulthood. The panelists included Dr. Robert Wingfield, a Chief Psychologist of the Behavioral Health Clinic at Boys Town DC, Lisette A. Burton, J.D., Director of National Advocacy for Boys Town, and Wesley Tomlinson, Donor Relations and Development Coordinator for Boys Town DC.
Boys Town does a lot to help out in the community. It offers support, education and many programs to give hope to children who may have been abused, suffer a mental illness, etc. Ms. Burton echoed what the founder, Father Edward J. Flanagan believed over a 100 years, ago, that “there’s no such thing as a bad child.” Dr. Wingfield said that adults are mainly shaped by their experiences as children, and even though it’s such a short time period in a person’s life, it’s a crucial time period for growth. “For me to have the opportunity to interact with, support and improve that short window in a person’s life, I feel lucky,” said Dr. Wingfield. “To be able to sit in the presence of a person's problems and guide them to a solution is something I don’t take for granted.”
Father Flanagan took a grassroots approach to helping out at-risk youth way back in 1917. He opened his doors to troubled youth, no matter their race, creed or color. Flashing forward to today, as a nonprofit with nine locations around the country, donations are key to keeping Boys Town running. In order to mobilize donors, Boys Town has to create a compelling call to action. Whether it’s from newsletter, emails, or social media, one of Boys Town’s goals is to direct their audience to the donation page. Just as “How To Write a Winning Advocacy Call to Action” says, an impactful image is important, and Boys Town makes sure to include images of children all over their website, social media pages, and newsletters. Action buttons are also easily seen on the website, and they are used to either ask for donations or get the audience to sign up for the newsletter.
Telling the stories of these children is crucial. In “Advocacy for Leaders: Crafting Richer Stories for Public Health,” six moral foundational values are discussed, and Boys Town is a big user of care/harm. Boys Town regularly shows that they are providing a safe haven for at-risk youth, showing them love and support, and giving hope to those that don’t have any. These stories appeal to the human emotion, and like Dr. Filippo Trevisan has said, “transcend cultures” and “make it easy to collect and disseminate” online.
What Boys Town does is really amazing, and they were even recognized by the United States Mint, getting a Centennial Commemorative Coin to celebrate their 100 year anniversary. An interesting short documentary, “The Work Will Continue,” was also recently released detailing the nonprofits history, the work they’ve done so far, and what comes next. Referring to the impact Boys Town has had on children, Ms. Tomlinson said “it changes tears to laughter and frowns to smiles.” I couldn’t agree more.
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