Throughout history, Jesuits have wrestled with what it means to be a person for and with others. In a serendipitous series of events, that Ignatian quest found a home at the former L.A. Lewis warehouse-turned youth center that opened in West Scranton last summer thanks to the passion and dedication of University of Scranton faculty, alumni, students and friends.
It started with a modest idea — the proverbial seed sewn. Douglas Boyle, DBA ’88, chair and professor of accounting and director of the Ph.D. program in accounting at Scranton’s Kania School of Management, had long been involved in wrestling in West Scranton, where he grew up. The junior and senior captain at West Scranton High School and, later, wrestling coach, remained involved in the community, supporting an after-school wrestling program. Over time, the number of participants in the program began to decline. For families of limited means, the $100 registration fee became challenging.
Dr. Boyle and other local wrestlers who had formed a group to help increase the number of participating students decided to make the wrestling program free — a decision that put everything on a new path.
“There were literally families lined up all the way around the block and all the way up to the next street (at West Scranton High School),” said Dr. Boyle. “We enrolled about 180 kids.”
“We knew that the demand was there and that it was bigger than just wrestling,” said Dr. Boyle, noting that they quickly saw the need for more programs.
What followed was a truly Ignatian response to a need to provide a place where young people could find and develop their passion in a safe and nurturing environment, free of charge. In the fall of 2022, two students in the Business Leadership Program at Scranton traveled to Los Angeles with Dr. Boyle and Ashley Stampone, Ph.D.’10, G’11, PHD’22, assistant professor of accounting, to visit Homeboy Industries, the largest gang rehabilitation and re-entry program in the world. That trip provided insight and inspiration for what ultimately became the West Scranton Youth Center.
“It was amazing to see people who were so motivated to turn their lives around and who had people to help them,” said Emma Boyle ’23, G’24 who, together with Matthew Earley ’23, visited Homeboy. “We went to the Homeboy Youth Center to observe their environment and how it supported academic and extracurricular activities,” she added.
Once back at Scranton, Emma Boyle and Earley made a presentation to other students in a consulting class about what they learned. The two asked the class who wanted to get involved in a Consulting Club that could help shape something similar in Scranton.
“Thirty-five students came to the first meeting,” said Emma Boyle, noting that they broke into groups, one of which was dedicated to the development of the local youth center. Using knowledge gained from the trip to Homeboy, as well as business skills learned in the classroom at Scranton, the group made recommendations about programs and the most efficient use of building space.
Input from the students and insights from the trip to Homeboy Industries led Dr. Boyle and others to cast a much wider net in their thinking about what the youth center could offer to the community. Dr. Boyle’s wife, Laura, was pivotal to the development of the Youth Arts Coalition.
Also a native of West Scranton, Laura Boyle noticed that the music programs in the intermediate schools had dwindled over time. This had a ripple effect at West Scranton High School, as there were few, if any, music programs feeding into the high school.
“I thought that it would be great to start a nonprofit where we could have music programs after school for the children,” she said. “It’s not that the kids weren’t interested; it’s just that they didn’t have an opportunity.”
Instead of just music programs, however, Laura Boyle saw the need for visual arts and theater as a “great opportunity to supplement what the school district is doing.” Aware that the poverty level in West Scranton is much higher than the national average, Laura Boyle contacted CHOP out Hunger to provide food for after-school snacks.
Support Arrives in the Form of Fellow Royals
With a building purchased and programs being developed, Dr. Boyle turned his attention to funding renovations needed to open the West Scranton Youth Center. He reached out to alumni connections who were quick to help.
“As soon as we heard about the center, we knew we had to be involved,” said Jaime Ryan ’14, vice president of Community Development for PNC Bank.
Ryan, who grew up in West Scranton and was also a wrestler, was familiar with the building and the community. He and others at PNC saw a clear connection to the foundation’s philanthropic goal of supporting nonprofits serving low- to moderate-income families. On a personal level, support for the youth center reflects the values that Ryan said he learned at The University of Scranton and Scranton Prep. His Jesuit education “set me on a path for giving back to others,” he said.
William (Bill) Lewis ’82 also “saw a wonderful opportunity to get involved” when contacted about his support. Since retiring from a position as partner at Pricewaterhousecoopers, Lewis, who lives in Arlington, Virginia, had been looking for ways to connect more deeply with his alma mater and to do something good for the community. He, too, grew up in West Scranton.
Lewis worked alongside Dr. Boyle and others to secure and manage donors, potential grants and insurance. A longtime volunteer with the Washington Jesuit Academy, Lewis said the academy and the West Scranton Youth Center share a “common thread of what I want to do in retirement … to advance youth education and youth development.” He noted that supporting nonprofits also connects with the values his parents shared and those that he learned at Scranton.
“It’s not just thinking about yourself (in life), but thinking about others,” he said. “I’ve always carried that with me.”
Changing Outcomes One Child at a Time
Within one year, the group had raised half a million dollars to get the building renovated and the programs up and running. By last summer, they opened the West Scranton Youth Center on Washburn Street. Owned by the West Scranton Wrestling Alumni Association (WSWAA) and operated by WSWAA and the Youth Arts Coalition, the 4,500 square-foot building is home to athletics, arts and wellness programs for students in West Scranton.
What’s particularly unique about the center is that everything — from programs to materials, uniforms and equipment — is provided free of charge to participants, just as it is at Homeboy Industries.
“If you’re a local family with three or four kids who want to do different things, it can be hundreds of dollars a month for lessons and things like that. Everything here is going to be accessible for anybody in our community,” explained Dr. Boyle.
“There’s something here for everybody. They can build self-esteem and a sense of community and pride in what they’re doing,” said Dr. Boyle. “We’re hoping one of the outcomes of this is that kids will have a different pathway other than getting involved in things that aren’t really productive for the community or for themselves.”
With the larger space and equipment in the West Scranton Youth Center, WSWAA has expanded its offerings to include year-round programs in wrestling and fitness for over 200 youth aged six and up. Experienced coaches and educators volunteer to lead the programs.
Music and arts programs were launched in fall 2024 through the Youth Arts Coalition. Instructors, who are paid a stipend, teach classes for students in grades five through eight. Theatre programs will be offered through the Scranton Fringe Children’s Program.
Sarah Boyle ’24, current MBA student at Scranton, is a member of the Alumni and Youth Arts Board. As someone who had been involved in the arts her whole life, she said that when she heard about the center “it was a great fit” for involvement and “a way to carry forward the Jesuit mission through my work in the community.”
“It’s been a rewarding experience,” she said. “Watching children as they accomplish something with their own motivation and determination is so inspiring.”
A Wellness Work-in-Progress
The wellness program took shape after a faculty member at Scranton reached out to Dr. Boyle upon seeing an editorial in the local paper. Patricia Wisniewski, Ed.D., faculty specialist in Occupational Therapy (OT) at the University’s Leahy College of Health Sciences, engaged a group of four students in her master’s program to develop an evidence-based wellness program.
“The essence of the program is to promote participants’ inclusion and foster a sense of belonging through activities focused on physical activity, self-esteem building and making healthy life decisions,” said Wisniewski.
“Based on research, developing an activity-based and child-centered model for at-risk youth can lead to enhanced self-advocacy through assertive communication, improved self-expression and positive perceptions about their future,” she said.
Among the items recommended by the OT students are programs addressing nutrition habits, hygiene, physical activity, mental health, positive social interaction, life skills and financial literacy. Key to their recommendations is to have the youth share ownership, from developing a name for the program to making tie-dye T-shirts. Implementation of the wellness program is expected to begin this spring.
Already, Dr. Boyle and others are looking at ways not only to make the center sustainable, but also to expand its community impact. To that end, the administration at The University of Scranton provides high-level guidance and support.
“They’re looking at all of the touchpoints on campus, whether mentoring, service or maybe even tutoring, and trying to formalize them,” said Dr. Boyle. “I’m so grateful to President Father Marina and the administration.”
In his Prayer for Generosity, St. Ignatius calls us “to give and not to count the cost.” Those behind the West Scranton Youth Center are heeding that call.
“If we can put these kids in a safe place, that’s our goal — to try to help as many kids as we possibly can,” said Dr. Boyle.
For more information or to provide support, please contact scrantonyouthcenter@gmail.com.
