Mel Blount Youth Home

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]

Mel Blount Youth Home

Founded	1990
Founder	Mel Blount
Type	Public charity[1]
Location	Buffalo Township, Washington County, Pennsylvania
Area served	Western Pennsylvania
Key people	Mel Blount
Website	www.mbyh.org

The founder, 4-time Super Bowl champion and Pro Football Hall of Fame member, Mel Blount.

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

1. "Mel Blount Youth Home of Pennsylvania" (Database Search for EIN 25-1585859). Exempt Organizations Select Check. Internal Revenue Service. Retrieved January 13, 2013.
2. Bouchette, Ed (August 8, 1989). "Blount Home Mixes Hope, Controversy". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved January 16, 2012.
3. MacBeth, Andrew (Feb 18, 1990). "Mel Blount Youth Home Nears Completion". Observer-Reporter. Retrieved January 16, 2012.
4. Sheridan, Patricia (June 2, 2003). "Mel Blount's All Star Celebrity Roast". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved January 16, 2012.
5. Steigerwald, Bill (September 29, 1989). "Klan Slates Rally to Protest Blount Youth Home". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved January 16, 2012.
6. Guydon, Lynda (August 8, 1989). "Blount Says Racism Blocks Youth Home". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved January 16, 2012.
7. Templeton, David (November 22, 1989). "Klan Opposition to Blount Youth Home Inspires Rally". The Pittsburgh Press. Retrieved January 16, 2012.
8. "Delinquent Care". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Apr 10, 1993. Retrieved January 16, 2012.
9. Van Kirk, Celeste (August 17, 2016). "While troubled youth no longer live at the Mel Blount Youth Home, it's still a vital resource". Observer-Reporter. Retrieved 12 August 2017.