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Updated: November 3, 2025

Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern Maine gets $2.5M gift to aid campus expansion

A drawing shows a space with tables and stools and people. Rendering / Courtesy Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern Maine The James and Hilla Bruni Bridge to Success Center will add capacity and expand “bridge to success” programming.
By Laurie Schreiber

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern Maine received a $2.5 million gift that will go toward the future renovation and expansion of the organization’s clubhouse and campus at 277 Cumberland Ave. in Portland.

The donation from Jerome and Pamela Bruni of Colorado Springs, Colo., in honor of Bruni’s parents, James and Hilla Bruni, is the lead gift to the organization’s “A Place for Growth” capital campaign to fund the project. 

Expansion plans include a 13,000-square-foot addition to the clubhouse. Designed to serve teens and young adults, it will be named the James and Hilla Bruni Bridge to Success Center. 

$15M project

The current estimated cost of the project is around $15 million, Brian Elowe, the organization’s CEO, told Mainebiz.

“We’re still in the early planning phases,” he said.

An exterior view shows a brick building.
Photo / Courtesy Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern Maine
Seen here is the existing Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern Maine building at 277 Cumberland Ave. in Portland.

Elowe credited the Bruni gift as a cornerstone that accelerates the process. The goal is to start construction in late 2026.

The project team includes construction company Wright-Ryan Construction and SMRT Architects & Engineers, both of which are based in Portland.

In addition to the Cumberland Avenue facility, the organization has locations in South Portland, Auburn and Lewiston. It has 1,700 members age 5 through high school and serves 400 to 500 children across its four sites per day. The Cumberland Avenue site is its largest, today serving 200 to 250 children daily. 

70-year connection

The gift is rooted in a story that began more than 70 years ago, when James Bruni, born in Portland to Italian immigrants, found support through the organization as a teenager. He went on to volunteer there for as long as he was able, according to a news release. Bruni worked for the Railway Express Agency and the Maine Central Railroad. He met his eventual wife Hilla in India while serving in the U.S. Army during World War II. Hilla later worked as a legal secretary for the Portland law firm Bernstein Shur.

Career exploration

The James and Hilla Bruni Bridge to Success Center will add capacity to the existing Portland campus on Cumberland Avenue, doubling daily attendance to 500 members.

A drawing shows a big space with people.
Rendering / Courtesy Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern Maine
Expansion plans include a 13,000-square-foot addition to the clubhouse.

The organization already offers “bridge to success” programming that includes virtual reality career exploration and mentoring one-on-one with teens on how to build toward their interests. That programming is close to capacity, resulting in the need for more space, said Elowe.

The new center will feature specially designed spaces for teens to access traditional programs in academics, arts, leadership and health and wellness. There will also be three large “garage bays” for hands-on training in the trades. 

The organization will continue to support elementary and middle school members in the renovated clubhouse. Goals include ensuring access to facilities, equipment and staff that will prepare and propel teen and young adult members into the workforce. 

Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern Maine has been in the Portland community for over a century, with programs spanning academics, technology, the arts, physical activity and leadership development.

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