Robin Paige Club (Lillington)

Work to establish a Boys & Girls Club in Lillington, NC began in 2017 when Daniel Simmons, former CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Carolina, and Emily Neville, a Harnett County resident and Park Scholar at NC State, assembled a committee to explore the idea of starting a Club in Lillington. At the time, Emily was an intern for Representative David Lewis (Rep.-Harnett) who appointed Emily to take the lead on the project.

During the following two years, local research and assessments were performed and conversations took place in the community about bringing this much-needed program to Lillington. During this time, the committee evolved into a Boys & Girls Club Advisory Council with Mr. George Womble elected as Chairperson of the Advisory Council. Mr. Womble was instrumental in assembling the current Boys & Girls Club Advisory Council and working with the Harnett County Board of Commissioners to advocate for the location of the Club at the newly renovated Shawtown Community Development Center.

Ultimately, the Womble Family made an incredibly generous and transformational gift to start the Boys & Girls Club in memory of Robin Paige Womble. Robin, a native of Lillington, was an educator and had an incredibly compassionate heart for kids from disadvantaged circumstances. Robin spent much of her life working in inner-city schools in Atlanta, Georgia and Watts, Los Angeles- one of the most impoverished and dangerous neighborhoods in Los Angeles. The Club was named the “Robin Paige Club” and will forever serve kids in her honor.

The Robin Paige Club opened to children on August 26, 2019. It currently serves 85 children per day, most of whom attend Lillington-Shawtown Elementary, Harnett Central Middle School, and Harnett Central High School. The Club is open five days per week throughout the school year and summer. All Club members also receive a meal each evening throughout the school year, with two meals per day served during summer camp.