Then he moved to Littleton, N.C. in the mid-1990s, and opened a shop there where he ran many of the same programs. But as fate would have it, his home and shop were destroyed in the floods after Hurricane Floyd in 1999.
"At that point I didn't really know what I was going to do," he said. "But I knew it was going be something to do with kids."
Wilkins took over as executive director of the Hoboken Boys and Girls Club March 1.
"The Boys and Girls Club gives young people the opportunity to learn the tools and lifeskills to make them successful in life," Wilkins said Tuesday.
The Boys and Girls Club is a national private, non-profit organization that provides after school activities for children of all school ages. To provide ongoing activities for the children, the club relies on funding from the state, its parent organization (The Boys & Girls Club of America) and the generosity of people in the community.
The Club is open every day after school. The membership fee is only $12 per child for the entire school year. Child care (ages 5-12) and summer programs are extra.
In an hour-long interview Tuesday, Wilkins extolled the benefits of the Boys and Girls Club and what he hopes to bring to the program.
"I feel the most important thing to teach students to have positive attitude, to be respectful, and to accept accountability for their actions," he said. "It's a safe place that's outside of school and the home. It's another option for children to go after school and in the summers. Parents know that their kids are going someplace where there is a positive learning environment, where they are going to be well taken care of."
What the club offers
"The primary focus is academics," said Wilkins. "They're here first and foremost to do homework."
When getting to the club after school, the students head directly to the "learning center," a separate room set aside for homework, studying and academics. The learning center offers 'Power Hour' homework assistance and tutoring among its activities. Club members that attend the homework help sessions are rewarded with "power points" which can be applied towards prizes.
The Hoboken club also has a fully functional computer room that is wired to the internet. Supplying the computers is the "Power UP" group, which is comprised of dozens of non-profit organizations, major corporations and state and federal government agencies that have joined together to ensure that youths acquire the skills, experiences and resources they need to be successful using computers.
Assisting Power UP with the funding for the new computers and the equipment to network them all together and to the internet were Microsoft, the Louis Calder Foundation, and Hoboken resident Elizabeth Markevitch.
According to Wilkins, the computers are used for several proposes, including creative writing, resume building, college searches and research using the internet.
Another core area of programming is health and life skills. To developer leadership skills, the Boys and Girls Club have developed the Torch Club for members aged 11-13 and the Keystone Club for 14-17 year olds. Members of the club elect officers and plan and implement their own activities and community service projects.
But it's not all work at the club. There are also sports and recreation activities. The New Jersey Nets sponsors the Sprite Basketball League, which plays its games in the Boys and Girls Club gym. There is also a game room with a pool table and other games.
There are also opportunities for artistic endeavors. Piano, violin, and band classes are offered at the Jersey City club house, which Hoboken kids are allowed to use.
What Wilkins brings
Wilkins said he has several ideas and programs that he hopes to be able to start up. This summer Wilkins plans on starting up programs where club members start up their own business. He plans on taking them through the entire process, from coming up with an idea to putting into motion.
"They are going to learn every aspect of business," he said, "from record-keeping, to customer service, to how to do taxes."
"These are going to be real businesses, what ever profit they make, they get to keep," he added. "The younger they are when they learn these business concepts, the better they will be prepared for success later in life."
He added that other ideas that he has are to hold a Hoboken Idol competition, which will be modeled after the American Idol television series, and to start up salsa dance lessons for the club members.
For more information on the Hoboken Boys and Girls Club, call (201) 963-6443 or visit its clubhouse at 123 Jefferson St.
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