In 1936, a school teacher named Anne Wright and a police officer named Franklin P. Luckman founded North Light Boys’ Club as a community hub to divert youth from delinquency. Ninety years later, the Manayunk nonprofit organization now known as North Light Community Center continues to offer initiatives that support children, teens, and families.

For Arianna Neromiliotis, development director at North Light, there’s “a lot to be said” about this longevity.

“If you think about the people that are still trying to help our community, it’s police officers and teachers,” Neromiliotis told the Local. “In the same vein, a police officer and teacher started something that they built, and who knew 90 years later that this would be on its own running as a functioning community space for kids to have a safe space after school or for kids to get help with youth development and figuring out jobs.”

Extensive services

North Light’s list of offerings and services is robust. For children, the nonprofit provides childcare after school, including homework help, snacks, recreational activities, arts and crafts, and educational activities. When school is out, North Light, which is on Green Lane, hosts summer camps.

For teens, the organization also provides an after school program with tutoring, workshops, cooking classes, community service hours, and extracurricular activities. In the summer, teenagers are encouraged to find internships in partnership with JEVS Career Connected Learning (C2L) PHL, a social services agency based in Philadelphia. Teens are placed at a local site for eight weeks, earning real-world experience.

For families, North Light runs a food pantry twice a week on Mondays and Fridays. There is also a utilities and housing assistance program. According to Neromiliotis, the nonprofit works closely with state Rep. Tarik Khan to continue these programs.

With all of these offerings, North Light’s full-time staff of seven is kept busy around the clock. However, they receive help from plenty of volunteers and part-time employees.

‘Under one roof’

According to Malachi Woodard, social supports manager at North Light, the organization is like “an old-school nonprofit under one roof.” Yet, even with all the services offered, occasionally North Light will not be able to directly help. However, that doesn’t mean they won’t send people to the right place.

“If we don’t have it, we’ll try to find some type of referral,” Woodard said.

Future goals for North Light include expanding the social services offered, as well as getting more donors and volunteers.

“If you want to be a volunteer, you can always sign up with Caitlin [Sherman, development coordinator],” Neromiliotis said. “It’s such a great way to see what it’s like to serve the literal community, people coming in off the street. It’s a beautiful thing.”

Tyresse Hill, teen services manager for North Light, agrees that the organization offers wonderful opportunities to give back. Hill, who has worked in childcare for over 10 years, believes his current job is more rewarding than his previous one.

“My passion since I was in fourth grade was to become a teacher and work with kids,” Hill said. So to have a community center like North Light compared to the job I did work at, it just gave me that happiness to be back working with kids, doing it for my students, meeting new people and partnerships, and just giving to the community.”

A homecoming

Kellianne Heil, a current part-time childcare staff member, attended the now-closed St. Lucy’s in Manayunk for elementary school and has fond memories of heading to North Light for gym class. She would later attend childcare, summer camp, and teen programs at the organization as well.

As she got older, Heil decided to come back and volunteer at North Light. Before long, she was officially a staff member.

“It’s been a little part of me since I was younger, so part of me doesn’t want to ever leave,” Heil said with a laugh.

Heil hopes more people will consider volunteering at North Light and seeing how the community will welcome new volunteers.

“Most jobs, you’ll go into a job and on your first day you won’t feel like you know what to do, but here I want to make sure new people who are coming in [can be told] step by step what’s going on,” Heil said. “If I were going to another job, like I’ve had in the middle of working here, it just didn’t feel the same. It wasn’t as welcoming.”

To learn more about North Light Community Center, visit northlightcommunitycenter.org.

Maggie Dougherty can be reached at Margaret@chestnuthilllocal.com.