Mel Blount Youth Home
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The Mel Blount Youth Home was a youth home for boys located in Buffalo Township, Washington County, Pennsylvania. It is located on 246 acres of farmland near Claysville, Pennsylvania.[2] Students attend nearby McGuffey School District.[3] Blount hosts an annual All Star Celebrity Roast, featuring many of his former Pittsburgh Steelers teammates, as a fundraiser.[4]
 | |
| Founded | 1990 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Mel Blount |
| Type | Public charity[1] |
| Location | |
Area served | Western Pennsylvania |
Key people | Mel Blount |
| Website | www |
Blount experienced a difficult process in securing zoning approval from the Buffalo Township Supervisors.[5] Opponents of Blount's plan claimed that the boys posed a threat to the community.[2] The opposition centered on a "Concerned Citizens" group and the local chapter of the Ku Klux Klan.[5] Incidents began with flyers being circulated, eventually growing to shots being fired into the home the day before Blount's 1989 induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.[6] During his induction speech, he specifically cited the racist attitudes of some in the community and Buffalo Township Supervisors.[6] Later, 2 men from Claysville were arrested in connection to the shooting.[6] While the zoning application was pending, the Klan announced that they would be holding a "standard rally" in protest, including a "cross-lighting ceremony."[5] A Township Supervisor said that the Klansmen did not represent the community, and that they had come from outside of the community.[5] The announcement spurred local labor groups, NAACP, and State Representative Leo Trich to hold counter-protest.[7] In the end, the youth home was completed in early 1990.[3]
During the 1990s, questions arose about the use of corporal punishment at the youth home, leading to an investigation by Allegheny County, Pennsylvania officials.[8]
After 2014, the home was no longer used for long-term residence. Currently it hosts weekend and day camp programs.[9]
References
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