January 06, 2012 – MARTISHA HARDY just walked in to pick up her sister from an after-school program. She had no intention of getting involved with the Nicetown Boys and Girls Club. It just wasn’t the “cool” place to hang out.

A decade later, Hardy is a part-time instructor at the facility while home on winter break and plans to go full-time this summer after her sophomore year at Kutztown University.

The latter, a place she’s not sure she would have even been able to attend without the help of the Boys and Girls Club.

“Usually when I didn’t have anything to do, that’s when I found myself getting in trouble,” said Hardy, of Nicetown. “When you don’t have anything to do especially around here, it’s very easy to get involved in the wrong things. They didn’t want me to be a statistic here, they took me in and a lot of who I am is because of this place.”

Testimonials like Hardy’s are the reason Phillies centerfielder Shane Victorino broke down in tears when he announced last September that his foundation donated $900,000 to the renovation of the once dilapidated building that corners 18th and Hunting Park. Yesterday, in front of roughly 40 kids, there were no tears as Victorino stood beaming with pride in the game room of the 14,000-square-foot facility that bears his name.

Read the full article at: philly.com