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Outreach Committee Organization Profile: Midtown Youth Academy |
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Written by Katie Nickerson and Dave Swanson
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Thursday, March 1, 2007 |
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 For the last 40 years, Eugene Hughes, has committed his time and energy to helping local youth stay off the streets and out of trouble. In 1968, the he former social worker and “DC boxing Hall of Fame” member, founded Mid-Town Youth Academy (MYA) and for years has volunteered his time and money to reaching out to youth about God, books, and boxing, and life.
Following the 1968 Washington riots much of the neighborhood surrounding 14th and U Streets NW was ruined by fire and looting. To offer a safe haven and place where kids could go after school or find community, Mr. Hughes founded MYA. Today, MYA operates an after-school and summer enrichment programs for kids from ages 6 to 18, as well as a boxing gym for both youth and adults. Kids and young adults, who visit MYA are offered a space to work on homework, box in the gym and learn other life skills from Mr. Hughes. Besides helping countless numbers of youth have a safe environment to study, MYA has produced World Champion boxers such as Lisa “Too Fierce” Foster and Toni Keese.
St. Thomas’ involvement with MYA began in 1982. Throughout the years members of St. Thomas’ parish have given their personal time to volunteer at MYA through tutoring and or donated/purchased items such as a sewing machine and computer for the organization. The outreach committee also provides support to Mid-Town Youth through monthly donations to their general operating budget to pay bills, sponsor meals for the kids, and even buy clothing.
MYA has become an established safe haven in the community for local youth and their families, providing assistance well beyond boxing to those in need. Time and time again Mid-Town Youth has been recognized by numerous organizations and the Mayor’s office for its contribution to the community.
So how I can I get involved?
If you want to learn more about Mid-Town Youth, how to get involved or how to donate (clothing donations are always welcome, particularly of clothes for young teenagers) please contact either the outreach committee (
outreach@stthomasdc.org
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
) or give Mid-Town Youth a call.
Midtown Youth Academy
Mr. Eugene R. Hughes
Director
2206 14th Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20009
MYA tel. (202) 265 – 6179 or cell: (202) 271-2319
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Episcopal Relief & Development Stories from the Field
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Read true stories of success and triumph from some of the countries where we work. You will receive new and featured stories from our partners in the field as they are published. |
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A Boat of Her Own
Elena is a food vendor in the community of Uros-Chulluni, Peru, where the only mode of transportation is by boat. The expense of renting a boat to sell her food limited both her business growth and mobility. Although Elena dreamed of owning her own boat, she had no collateral to secure one. Through a micro-finance program supported by Episcopal Relief & Development, the Ecumenical Church Loan Fund and the Anglican Diocese of Peru, Elena and her neighbors formed a community bank. She was then able to obtain a small loan without traditional collateral, enabling her to buy her own boat. Now Elena’s business has expanded to include not only the sale of food, but also handicrafts and candy. She’s thankful to Episcopal Relief & Development for showing her how to improve her income, continue her children’s education and strengthen her family.
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Building Access to Clean Water
Maria, her husband Juan and their five children knew the harmful effects of dirty, contaminated water in their village of Bijagua, Nicaragua. They used to bring the household water for cooking, bathing, drinking and washing in buckets from a stream 10 minutes away from their home — the same stream where cattle roamed. The children were constantly sick with diarrhea, and getting the water each day was a real burden. “Our daughter spent so much time carrying water, she was falling behind in her school work. We always worried about her walking alone in the dark of the early mornings and evenings. There are poisonous snakes around here,” said Maria. Episcopal Relief & Development partnered with El Porvenir, an organization that works in Nicaraguan communities to develop water, sanitation and re-forestation projects. The program also provided Maria and her community with education and training on properly maintaining the water system, water hygiene and protecting children and families from preventable, water-related diseases. Instances of water-borne illnesses were also tracked by local health monitors. Now Bijagua has safe water and residents can stay healthy. “Our daughter is excelling in school now that she doesn’t have to carry buckets of water. And the children don’t have diarrhea anymore,” Maria stated.
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