A $1.25 million gift from the San Diego Padres will help reshape the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater San Diego’s Clairemont branch, but its biggest impact may come from what happens inside.
The people behind the purpose
After losing her job, a mother moved with her son to Clairemont to live with family. Beyond those relatives, they knew almost no one in the community. When one of her son’s classmates recommended the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater San Diego, they decided to try it.
From the moment they walked through the door, they felt like they belonged. Staff welcomed them, answered their questions, and helped her son begin making connections with the other kids almost immediately.
For the mother, that meant she could look for work knowing her son was somewhere positive, and most importantly, somewhere he was happy. She realized the club had really helped to put them on the right path. Things were going to be ok.
Michelle Malin, President and CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater San Diego, shared the family’s story while describing what has kept her in the organization for decades. Malin has spent 33 years working with Boys & Girls Clubs, including 26 years directly with the Greater San Diego organization.
“It’s really the relationships with the staff that have the greatest impact on the kids. It’s those caring adult role models,” Malin said, “And I can’t tell you how many families have told me the club has changed their life or saved their life.”
How the Padres’ partnership will work
The value the youth-focused organization delivers, and has been delivering for 85 years around San Diego, perfectly aligns with the rationale behind the substantial contribution gifted by the new San Diego Padres majority owners, Kwanza Jones and José E. Feliciano, and Padres pitcher Yu Darvish, as part of the Peter Seidler Legacy Fund initiative.
This partnership agreement took one final step and asked the Boys & Girls Club to raise matching funds from community donations. It committed to raising another $750,000, bringing the total project to $2 million. This money will fund renovations and establish an endowment to support the Clairemont branch’s long-term maintenance.
Membership fees help support the club operations, but they don’t cover the full cost of providing programs. Malin said the organization works year-round to fundraise and close that gap, while also offering scholarships so cost doesn’t become a barrier for families.
More than writing a check or going past the checkbook
The Padres didn’t predetermine the Clairemont branch, which opened in 1961. Malin said the Padres were open to any location and asked her team to identify where the need and opportunity made the most sense. Naturally, incorporating a baseball field into the plans was also a top priority for them.
This created a logistical challenge from the start. The Clairemont property lacked outdoor space for a full-size baseball field. To solve this, organizers opted for a Wiffle ball field instead. It provides a more compact alternative while preserving the spirit of the game for both Padres players and local kids.
“When the Padres invested this money, they said their goal was to do more than write a check. Their goal was really to make sure it was a site that they could be involved with, that they could come out and do player activations,” Malin explained.
That involvement is expected to continue several times a year through “player activations,” a Padres term for community opportunities that interact directly with youth. Malin had already seen the powerful impact of similar-type visits in previous years. For instance, Padres pitchers visited the Clairemont branch last year for a team-building event. Malin recalled how thrilled the kids were to interact directly with the professional players.
Because the Boys & Girls Club’s corporate offices are also located on the Clairemont property, its leadership team has a unique opportunity to manage and lead the transformation directly while on-site. Malin also emphasized that the Padres’ investment is earmarked to serve the main clubhouse and all programming for the kids—it’s not for administrative offices or new office furniture.
What Will Change and What Won’t
Renovation plans include a Padres-themed Wiffle ball field, refreshed interiors and equipment, building improvements—including air conditioning, new signage, and Padres branding throughout the clubhouse. Visible transformations will begin next year, culminating in a grand ribbon-cutting and reopening celebrations in summer 2027.
Interactive technology upgrades
The club will also introduce an enhanced technology infrastructure with a strong STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) focus. This will emphasize interactive activities and hands-on learning experiences to keep kids moving and socializing instead of sitting passively in front of screens.
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A Wiffle ball field of dreams
The building’s structural footprint will remain unchanged; no walls are being torn down. But one outdoor amenity will change—the playground. This outdoor area, which is over 20 years old, will be removed to make space for the brand-new Wiffle ball field. To balance the upgrade, Malin noted they are exploring creative ways to integrate smaller playground elements throughout the property.
The indoor pool will remain
Aqua Pros, which has partnered with the Clairemont site for more than two decades, will continue managing the pool and operating year-round swim programs. It will remain available to both the community and club members.
A partnership steeped in accountability
This partnership includes provisions for long-term accountability. The agreement calls out the Padres’ naming rights and sets them for a 10-year term. To protect the investment, the agreement explicitly allows the Padres to revisit their naming rights if the property is not properly maintained or falls into disrepair. However, Malin emphasized that both organizations intend to continue the partnership in perpetuity, with plans to review the financial investment and shifting organizational needs every 10 years.
The building is really just the vessel
Despite all the attention given to the exciting changes happening over the next year, Malin kept redirecting focus to what matters most. The very thing that has kept her walking through this organization’s doors every day for the last 26 years.
“The building is really just the vessel,” she said. “It’s really the staff and those connections that are having the greatest impact on the kids.”
Clairemont is just the starting point of a broader five-to-ten-year effort to modernize the organization’s 23 facilities located throughout San Diego County. For Malin, the project mission goes far beyond maintaining aging buildings and elevating programming.
“The things that we did to get us to where we are now are not going to get us to where we want to go in the future,” Malin said. “To stay relevant, to keep growing and thriving…we have to continue to evolve. We have to be willing to change and adapt.”
Asked what success would look like several years from now, Malin highlighted the organization’s key value driver and its potential to leave a lasting impact on the community’s youth.
“This will be a success if we’re just bursting at the seams with kids.” Malin said, “It’s the staff, it’s the team, it’s the volunteers. Those are the people that are really having that impact on the kids and on the community.”
Community involvement is key
Community members can support Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater San Diego through financial donations, volunteering, or helping spread the word. Those interested in volunteering at the San Diego Padres Branch in Clairemont can contact Branch Manager David VonPrisk at padresbranch@sdyouth.org or (858) 273-1645.
