The Boys & Girls Club of Frederick County (BGCFC) recently made headlines when it received a Hero for Youth award from Boys & Girls Clubs of America for its youth advocacy efforts. We spoke with BGCFC CEO Timika Thrasher about what’s been happening at the club and how it’s been helping Frederick County children.
Middle School Movement
One of the Boys & Girls Clubs’ biggest priorities is making its services more widely available in middle schools across Frederick County. When Thrasher first started working as its interim CEO, the program was only an option at one middle school.
Over time, the club has expanded its offerings into five schools, most recently Brunswick Middle School. Thrasher adds that other local middle schools have requested BGC chapters of their own.
The club has also started a weekly program at Heather Ridge School, an alternative school whose students may require additional therapeutic or behavioral support.
“We go into [Heather Ridge] once a week to do a program, which is something Boys & Girls Clubs has never done,” Thrasher says. “It’s a big deal that we’re able to serve middle school students that are in a different type of program.”
Therapy and Trauma Support
Boys and Girls Clubs works to support its young members who come from underserved communities, and one of the ways it does this is by offering in-house therapeutic services. BGCFC has a partnership with the Frederick-based Trauma Specialists of Maryland, with a therapist coming to its middle and elementary school programs.
These services are free to any families who sign the necessary waivers, which can be life-changing for children whose families may not be able to afford therapy.
“There’s a lot of families who don’t have the funds for therapy, or who can’t access it at all,” Thrasher notes. “But they can get it at the club.”
Technology for Tweens and Teens
One of the most recent developments at BGCFC has been its new Technology Lab, which opened in November 2025. The technology company Rowan Digital Infrastructure has been controversial in the community for its plans to build data centers in Frederick County, but Thrasher says the company has been very supportive of BGCFC. Rowan awarded the club a $30,000 grant, which funded the purchase of 40 computers and furniture for the lab.
This has been a boon for children who may not have access to a computer at home, who now have a space to work on their assignments and hang out with friends while improving their digital literacy.
