Cawood Ledford Boys & Girls Club

Our afterschool program is located at 1 Positive Place in Harlan, KY. Trained and vetted staff provide a meal and snack, homework help, and other fun, enriching activities at the Club. The service is offered at no charge to caregivers as long as their child is picked up before 6 pm. All members must be registered before attending Club. For any additional questions, please contact the Club via phone or email.

Our Mission

is to combat the loss of hope experienced by many area youth by "Inspiring and enabling all young people, especially those from disadvantaged circumstances, to realize their full potential as productive, responsible and caring citizens." Since opening our doors, we have helped thousands of children receive the opportunities and skills they need to succeed.

Our History

Nearly 15 years ago, a group of concerned citizens- led by Tony & Tommie Saragas- joined together to form Harlan County Youth Sports, an organization devoted to providing positive sports leagues and activities to the children of Harlan County.  It didn't take long for this group to realize that the children of our area needed much more than sports.  They needed the opportunities that only a Boys & Girls Club could provide and in April 2003, the Harlan County Boys and Girls Club opened its first dedicated youth facility- The Cawood Ledford Boys & Girls Club- located at the former Loyall Elementary School.  In January 2005, the Club moved into a storefront facility in downtown Harlan and launched a massive capital campaign to raise funds to build a new facility. Led by architect Dwyne Wilkerson and trustees Rick Fox and Don Parsons, construction began on a new, permanent facility in June 2006.

In August 2007, the newly constructed Cawood Ledford facility opened in the Fairview section of Harlan.  Named for Kentucky's legendary sports announcer, the Cawood Ledford Club is tailor-made for our members and offers a large game room, an arts and crafts room, a technology lab, a fitness room, an education lab, kitchen and administrative offices. Scores of children, from both county and city schools, take part in the life-changing programs offered in this facility each day.

Gym Construction Started

A dream many years in the making, the bulldozers are finally getting to work on the new gym at the Cawood Ledford Boys & Girls Club. It took a great deal of help and support from the community, all our contributors, and endless hours of hard work by Boys & Girls Club leadership to make the dream a reality. The pandemic of 2020 sidelined the project and rising materials costs nearly halted the project all together. However, Judge Dan Mosely and the Harlan County Fiscal Court, through a generous donation, has ensured that the dream will be made a reality. The gymnasium will allow the Club to serve more kids, feed more kids (and do so more efficiently), stay open for more hours, and provide a much needed space for other community organizations in Harlan. The gym is scheduled to open in the fall of 2022.

Advisory Council

Ron Frazier
Assistant Vice President, Home Federal Bank

Marcy Hendrickson
Teacher, Harlan County Public School System

Heather Maples
Community Volunteer

Lynn Cox
Branch Director, Harlan Co. Public Libraries

Leslie Adkins-Howard
Social Worker, Kentucky Department for Health and Family Services

Foluke Akisanya
Community Volunteer

Kevin Cavins
Monticello Bank

Tammie Chapman
Professor, Southeast Kentucky Community & Technical College

Tammy Collett
Mountain Comprehensive Health Care

Tommie Saragas
Regional Enrollment Director, Lindsey Wilson College

Rich Haynes
Executive Director, Harlan Co. Public Libraries

Scott Lisenbee
Harlan County District Judge

Erica Farmer Miller
Southeast Kentucky Community & Technical College

Dana Mills
Medical Assistant Instructor, Southeast Kentucky Community & Technical College

Dan Mosley
County Judge Executive

Gail Murray
Speech Therapist, Appalachian Regional Healthcare

Thomas Vicini
Asst. Director- Operation UNITE

Unit Director

Kendra Calhoun

Location

1 Positive Place in the Fairview section of Harlan (across the pedway from the Harlan City Schools).

Phone

(606) 573-0960

Email

kcalhoun@bgcapp.club

Hours

The club is open to all members Monday through Friday afterschool until 6pm. Summer camps take place 10am - 4pm.

Membership

Membership for the afterschool program is free. Summer fees are $50 per week. Scholarships and payment plans are available. No child is EVER turned away for inability to pay.