The BASE previously rented the space at 150 Shirley St. in Roxbury. Will allow non-profit to expand programs for community youth
Roxbury-based non-profit organization The Base recently announced the purchase of 150 Shirley St., the building in which the organization has resided since 2019. The purchase marks a historic step in the organization’s mission to establish a permanent home in the heart of Roxbury.
Founded in 2013, The BASE has grown exponentially since its conception. Initially exclusively serving 100 Black and brown young men through its baseball and college readiness programs, The BASE now is home to three established sports programs, a slew of college and career readiness programs and a new health and wellness initiative. Now catering to both men and women, The BASE not only offers baseball, but also softball and basketball programming, serving 850 enrolled students.
Steph Lewis, president and CEO of The BASE, believes that the purchase of the Shirley Street facility they previously rented will allow The BASE to build on its existing programming and strengthen its capacity for impact on currently enrolled athletes and the athletes they cater to throughout the year in the Greater Boston area.
“It’s very important to be a part of the narrative,” Lewis said. “To be one of the few Black-led nonprofits that will own its own property is a big thing, particularly when we talk about having a stake in the neighborhood with things that are affecting us like gentrification, being a presence, right when we talk about just even the
housing crisis, right where folks are moving out because of the
affordability and the way the market is working, that we were able to
step up right here in Roxbury and say, ‘No, we’re not going nowhere,’”
Lewis said.
Funded
primarily by partner the Yawkey Foundation, the building, now named the
Yawkey Urban Sports Complex: Home of The BASE, will continue to be the
organization’s home as it expands its programming and outreach. In
addition to the support from the Yawkey Foundation, The BASE was awarded
a seven-figure grant from Atrius Health Equity Foundation to bolster
its health and wellness initiatives.
“They
gave us a million-dollar grant, and what we were able to do with that
is really launch a fullblown health and wellness initiative. We get to
directly address a lot of the health disparities that are happening in
our communities and in our neighborhoods because we understand that a
lot of our young folks, they can no longer wait. The time is now,”
Lewis said. “What we want to make sure is that we’re
able to provide mental health workshops and just mental health resources
for our young folks to be able to start to address what’s happening.”
Under
Lewis’ leadership, The BASE has secured over $2.5 million in grants
from partners like the Yawkey Foundation and the Atrius Health Equity
Foundation, as well as independent contributors and anonymous donors.
This funding has been instrumental in the organization’s growth and in
the permanent acquisition of 150 Shirley St., as well as in expanding
programming and solidifying the organization’s potential for longterm
impact.
The purchase
of the building also positively impacts the organization’s overall
budget, with the money previously allocated to rent now being
reallocated to programming and staff reinforcement.
“All of that money will go back to resources. All of that money will go back to programs,” Lewis
said. “The kids can probably go to another tournament, right? I mean
the possibilities are all endless of what they’re able to do and where
the funds are able to go to. Our big thing right now is like, how do we
just start to pump more money back into programming, be able to serve
more young folks?”
Another
essential element of The BASE’s expansion mission is its college and
career readiness initiatives. The purchase of the Shirley Street
property will allow for a portion of funding to be devoted to enhancing
that side of the organization.
“We
want to be the best organization when it comes to sports and access and
resources for our young folks in the city. We want to make sure that
every single young person in the city has access to some amazing
resources, whether it’s college, career, whatever it is that they
desire. We want to make sure that we are a total change agent in our
Black and brown communities,” Lewis said.
A
testament to the lasting impact The BASE has already had on the
community is its alumni network. The BASE’s formal introduction to youth
sports in Boston was in 1978, and since then, its alumni network has
been, and continues to be, expansive and diverse.
“We’re
seeing amazing young folks do great things … Construction management
and real estate, and we have our first doctor. We have educators. You
know, just across the board, we’ve had some just amazing young folks,
now adults, alums that are doing great work. And so much, they always
say, is attributed to their time at The BASE,” Lewis said. “And so we
just want to make sure that we’re providing even greater talent in the
workforce, in the career space for today’s economy and going forward as
well.”