It wasn’t a pretty sight.
As U.S. Rep. Chrissy Houlahan made her way through the Olivet Boys & Girls Club on Mulberry Street on Thursday afternoon, guided by officials from the organization, she encountered one disaster after another.
Pool tables were covered in dust and the paint on the walls had faded. Water damage in the basement had left behind patches of mold.
On the second floor, in an area that was once a computer lounge, portions of the ceiling had caved in.
The situation was similar at the Olivet’s PAL Club on Walnut Street.
The dilapidation and disrepair has led the organization to shutter both sites, Mulberry Street for the past three years and PAL for the last two. But their rebirth is now on the horizon.
Thanks in part to $1 million in federal funding, renovation projects are set to begin soon at both clubs. The money is in congressionally designated spending through a program that allows lawmakers to nominate projects for federal support.
The funding for Olivet was obtained by former U.S. Sen. Bob Casey. And on Thursday Houlahan — who is unable to request funding for the project because the Trump administration has barred House members from using the program to fund projects related to education and health care — got a chance to see the impact it will make.
That impact will be widespread.
The money will help cover the costs of everything from repairing structural issues at the sites to repairing heating and plumbing systems to renovating interiors to buying new flooring and paint to purchasing new games, computers and supplies for kids to use.
Olivet COO Nick Philippides shows U.S. Rep. Chrissy Houlahan the gym during a tour of the Olivet Boys and Girls Club at 724 Mulberry St. on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026. (BILL UHRICH/READING EAGLE)
For Houlahan, seeing federal dollars support a place that provides safety and educational opportunities is personal, she said.
Before running for Congress, Houlahan served in Teach for America as a chemistry teacher at a high school in North Philadelphia and then led a nonprofit helping thousands of underserved students build literacy skills.
“I love kids and was an educator for part of my life,” she said. “I’m really committed to our next generation, and so it’s really nice to be home to celebrate this.”
Houlahan said she has heard about the important role the closed-down Olivet clubs once filled for the community, and was excited to hear about the plans officials have to bring them back to life.
That excitement is shared by those striving to reinvigorate the local Boys & Girls Clubs, who said they are eager to get the Mulberry Street and PAL locations back up and running as soon as possible.
“It’s our duty to open these doors back up to give kids a place to go,” Rick Perez, CEO of the Olivet Boys & Girls Club, said. “The goal is to have both open for the start of the new school year in August.”
The two locations had served a combined 1,000 kids, Perez said. Currently, those kids are attending programs at different locations: the Mulberry Street Club has relocated to 10th & Green Elementary School and the PAL Club has temporarily relocated to Lauer’s Park Elementary School.
Olivet board chair P. Sue Perrotty speaks with U.S. Rep. Chrissy Houlahan during a tour of the Olivet Boys and Girls Club at 724 Mulberry St. on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026. (BILL UHRICH/READING EAGLE)
Perez said the changes in location mean the clubs are only serving about 10% of what they had served, almost completely losing their teen population because they are not likely to visit an elementary school for programming.
And missing out on that programming is a big deal for a lot of kids across greater Reading.
According to Olivet officials, the organization’s three core areas of programming are to promote academic success, healthy lifestyles and good character. It strives to reach and serve as many youths as possible, making services available after school and during the summer.
Despite all that the organization provides, Olivet Board of Directors Chair P. Sue Perrotty said that finding funding to keep the clubs running is always a challenge. Which makes the federal funding Olivet has received incredibly meaningful.
“As the congresswomen said, it’s harder and harder to get community grant dollars and it’s important that our leaders see what we’re doing so that they can advocate on our behalf about the difference those dollars can make when they invest in us,” she said. “We are very excited because we think our kids are worth investing in.”