A Ministry of Bible Center Church
OUR STORY
About The Maker's Clubhouse
A place rooted in Homewood, built on relationships, and committed to opening doors for children.
01
WHERE WE STARTED
It started with showing up
The Maker's Clubhouse did not begin with a strategic plan. It began with a group of young adults living in Homewood who had a heart to serve the children around them.
They started playing soccer with kids at Pittsburgh Faison after school, two afternoons a week, building relationships one game at a time. Soccer grew into reading tutoring and homework help. Two days became five. One school became two.
More than fifteen years later, that same spirit of showing up is still at the center of everything we do.
02
WHAT WE BECAME
More ways to learn. More doors to open.
Today, The Maker's Clubhouse provides five-day-a-week after-school programming at Pittsburgh Faison and Pittsburgh Lincoln, serving approximately 150 children every day during the school year. Our seven-week summer program extends our reach even further, welcoming elementary and middle school students from schools across the Pittsburgh region.
Students receive homework help and targeted academic support, but they also code, build, design, garden, explore robotics, learn about entrepreneurship, take field trips, and discover places and possibilities beyond their own neighborhoods. Strong community partnerships introduce young people to experiences ranging from the arts and environmental education to technology, career exploration, and outdoor adventure.
And the program remains what it has always been: no cost to families.
03
WHO ARE WE HERE FOR
Homewood is at the heart of the work
The Maker's Clubhouse was created in Homewood, and this community remains at the heart of who we are. We serve children and families who live, learn, work, play, and worship in Homewood and the surrounding communities.
We know that for many working families, quality after-school care is not affordable. We know that some children would otherwise go home to empty houses during those critical after-school hours. We know that parents carry that weight every day.
Our goal has always been simple: remove barriers for families and open doors for children.
That means high-quality programming at no cost. It means meals and transportation. It means homework help and academic support alongside attention to a child's social and emotional well-being. And it means working alongside schools, families, and community partners so that every adult surrounding a child is working toward the same goal.
We don't expect families to do this alone. We want them to know that Bible Center is here.
04
WHAT WE BELIEVE
Investing in people and potential
The Maker's Clubhouse is one expression of the larger vision of Bible Center Church and The Oasis Project: to make earth more like heaven by investing in the people and potential of our community. That vision is expressed through an intentional focus on education, employment, entrepreneurship, and the environment, and The Maker's Clubhouse lives at the center of that commitment to education.
One of the milestones we value most is much harder to measure. Children keep coming back. Many spend several years with us. And some of the young people who once came through our doors as children are now returning to work here, creating for another generation the experience that helped shape them.
That may be our favorite measure of growth.
“Our goal has always been simple: remove barriers for families and open doors for children.”
Cynthia M. Wallace, EdD
Executive Pastor, Bible Center Church
Executive Director, The Oasis Project
LEADERSHIP
Meet the people behind the work
India Harris
Director of The Maker's Clubhouse
Nika Hines
Program Administrator
Tyjuan Patterson
Assistant Director
CAREERS
Bring your creativity. Make a difference.
We are always looking for passionate, creative people who love kids and want to make a real difference in their community. Our Crew Leader and Afterschool Facilitator roles are part-time positions running Monday through Friday, 2:45 PM to 6:15 PM during the school year, serving students at Faison and Lincoln Elementary Schools. Positions pay $15 to $18 per hour based on qualifications and experience. If you are studying education or have experience working with elementary-aged children, we would love to hear from you.
FUNDERS & PARTNERS
Better together
Funders
Allegheny County Department of Human Services
PA Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD)
Bible Center Church membership and congregational giving
Richard King Mellon Foundation
McElhattan Foundation
Grable Foundation
United Way of Southwestern PA
Pitcairn-Crabbe Foundation
Jack Buncher Foundation
Eden Hall Foundation
Partners
Pittsburgh Public Schools
University of Pittsburgh
Literacy Pittsburgh
Magpie Literacy
Reading Is Fundamental
All About Youth Community Center
STEM Coding Lab
Pittsburgh Zoo and Aquarium
Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy -- The Frick Environmental Center
The Frick Pittsburgh Museums and Gardens
Afro-American Music Institute
Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh -- Homewood Branch
Homewood Children's Village
Homewood/Brushton YMCA
Operation Better Block
Assemble
APOST (Allegheny Partners for Out-of-School Time)
ALCOSAN NOMA (National Organization of Minority Architects)
Own Our Own
Oasis Farm