A Night at the Museum with the NFL and Boys and Girls Club
By • August 14, 2025 0 556
By Caroline Woodward
On Tuesday, the Smithsonian’s Office of the Under Secretary for Education partnered with Prime Sports, NFL Inspire Change, and the Boys & Girls Clubs of America to create an event that truly reached for the stars.
The event allowed the children of the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Washington to have access to the newly renovated Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Children were not only able to visit the museum but also participate through various activity stations, witness a private planetarium show, and have the opportunity to take home books, all for free. This was part of a series by the Boys and Girls Club of America and its partners, which focuses on promoting literacy and education in youth, a main goal of the nonprofit.
“As an organization, literacy is super important to what we do. Particularly, one of our ultimate outcomes for our Club Kids is academic success,” said Lorraine Orr, the Executive Vice President and COO of Boys and Girls Clubs of America. “So many of our young people don’t have the extra resources to buy books, so to be able to get free books to take home on their own is super important.
Dr. Monique Chism, Under Secretary for Education. Courtesy The Smithsonian.
The partnership between the Smithsonian and Prime Sports, alongside the NFL, has resulted in the donation of over 1 million books and resources to Boys & Girls Clubs across the country. The program, titled TNF for Good, has worked to host several events in cities such as Baltimore, Kansas City, Detroit, and Seattle.
“Young people become what they can see, and books are a powerful tool to inspire new passions and possibilities,” said Chad Hartman, national vice president of Corporate Partnerships & Engagement at Boys & Girls Clubs of America, in an interview by the Smithsonian. “We’re grateful to our partners at the NFL, Smithsonian and Prime Video for their shared commitment to ensuring Club kids across the country have access to these invaluable resources.”
Beyond general literacy, the mission of the Air and Space Museum event was aimed at getting children excited about STEM-related subjects.
“There is an emphasis on STEM alongside the idea to get kids back into books. In 2025, everything is very digital. So the idea of being able to get our kids touching books, while also connecting subjects to the back-to-school season, is a focus,” said Cherie Cancio, the Director of Impact Innovation at the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Washington. “This is a really cool way for us to end summer camp and really kick off the academic season.”
The night was defined by a specific sneak peek of this newly remodeled, yet ever iconic museum, the opportunity for children and youth to gain new passion and, of course, lots of learning.
