Boys Hope/Girls Hope home to aid 6 disadvantaged kids

Thursday, Oct. 9, 1997 | 9:56 a.m.

With a little bit of time and a lot of dedication, the six disadvantaged boys who will live in the first Boys Hope/Girls Hope home in Southern Nevada may excel to the level of academic excellence of their counterparts in Phoenix.

The Las Vegas home, like the one in Phoenix, was built by Del Webb. On Wednesday, representatives from the developer and Boys Hope/Girls Hope gathered for a dedication ceremony at the home at 4901 W. Gowan Road, north of Cheyenne Avenue just west of Decatur Boulevard.

"It takes about 18 months to two years to establish a home -- but we are in this for the long term," said John Doman, president of Boys Hope/Girls Hope. The 20-year-old Missouri-based organization has 29 homes in four countries: the United States (14 states), Brazil, Guatemala and Ireland.

"Our home in Phoenix (built in 1989) recently won our academic award, with grade point averages ranging from 3.27 to 3.41. One young man earned a full scholarship to Dartmouth."

Those results are even more incredible because to qualify for residency a boy must qualify as being "at-risk," which generally includes coming from poverty situations. Also, many have been abused or neglected by their families.

Although Boys Hope/Girls Hope gets many referrals to their homes, few are selected. The one who are selected, however, receive a major commitment from the nonprofit organization.

"Our program differs from others in that we are more long-term, the children attend private schools and we pay for their college education," Doman said. "But we don't compete with the other organizations that do similar work. Often we make referrals to one another."

The average stay at Boys Hope/Girls Hope is 2 1/2 to four years. The organization is funded by private donations, with no government funds.

Phil Dion, president of Del Webb, said his organization agreed to build the Las Vegas home, which is valued at $500,000, partly because of the success it had with the property in Phoenix.

"I attended a local homebuilders convention and some local businessmen were talking about the need, so I told them about our experiences with the home we built in Phoenix," Dion said.

"This is a residential program that provides young people with a small, family-like setting that cannot be provided in an institution-like atmosphere."

Dion noted that 43 local contractors donated about $400,000 worth of materials and labor to build the local property.

Currently, four boys have taken up residence in the six-bedroom, 4,500-square-foot home. Doman projects that the other two spots will be filled soon.

The Gowan Road home is the first of six planned for Southern Nevada. The next Boys Hope/Girls Hope home, whose site is yet to be determined, will be a facility for girls, Doman said.