The Bob Burdette Center Hit it Out of the Park

This summer, we had the opportunity to take some of our students to a Charleston Dirty Birds baseball game. Thanks to the generosity of Taylor Raab and Raab Wealth Advisors, our 3rd–5th grade students attended a game at GoMart Ballpark. Every child received a hat and an autograph book featuring the players’ signatures. The game began at 11:00 a.m., with the Charleston Dirty Birds taking on the Long Island ... Continue Reading »

STEM Lava Lamp

One of our focuses at the Bob Burdette Center is academic enrichment. We strive to provide our students with academic support outside of the classroom. One way we provide academic enrichment is through STEM activities. STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) activities are a good way to make learning fun! While at the Bob Burdette Center, students get the opportunity to participate in multiple STEM lessons. However, learning does not ... Continue Reading »

Our Garden is Growing

Our community garden continues to grow beautifully! Located on the corner of Bream Street, right next to Emmanuel Baptist Church, the garden has made tremendous progress. We’re excited to share updated photos with everyone. In the photos, you can see how much the plants have grown compared to our previous blog post, where we showcased the garden shortly after it was planted. We’re especially excited to see how ... Continue Reading »

Our First Squash

Our Community Garden is coming along nicely! While we’re not quite ready to distribute produce, we’re excited to share that our very first vegetables are ready to harvest. On Monday, we harvested our first yellow squash! We are thrilled to be getting closer to the peak of our harvest season and can’t wait to share our fresh produce with the rest of our community. If you’d ... Continue Reading »

We’re Halfway Through the Summer Program!

We are reaching the halfway point of our Summer Program! That does not mean it is too late to sign up, though. We are still accepting applications for summer students and will soon begin accepting registrations for our after-school programming. Our Summer Program is lots of fun for our students. Students begin arriving at 8:00 a.m. and leave our program by 5:30 p.m. each day. They are provided with breakfast, ... Continue Reading »

Art at the Bob Burdette Center

While we’ve shared information in the past about programs like STEM and Social Emotional Learning, one area we haven’t highlighted as much is our art program. We’ve featured visits to local art museums on our blog, but we haven’t talked much about how art is incorporated into our everyday curriculum. Art is a dedicated part of our schedule every Thursday morning during our Summer Program, but ... Continue Reading »

Growing Season Starts at the Bob Burdette Center

Last week, we started preparing our community garden for the new growing season. Although we have been planning and preparing for the past few months, we have now broken ground and started planting. Our community garden is located at the corner of Bream Street and Hull Street on Charleston’s West Side. This garden is not only a way to support our local community, but also an opportunity to encourage ... Continue Reading »

Celebrating Citizen Science Month

This month is Citizen Science Month! Citizen Science Month emphasizes and celebrates the importance of involving the public in scientific research. It is organized by SciStarter and founded on the belief that everyone has a place in science. It also promotes collective action, bringing people together around the world to contribute to a variety of scientific projects. Citizen Science Month aligns with our goals at the Bob Burdette Center. Through ... Continue Reading »

Being Kind to the Earth

Earth Day is coming up this month on April 22. Earth Day is dedicated to supporting environmental protection. It is a great time to reflect on how our planet supports us and how we can, in turn, support it. Although much of the focus on protecting the environment is often directed at large companies and organizations, individuals can still make a difference on a smaller scale. Some ways individuals can support ... Continue Reading »

Meet the Bands for the Charley West BBQ Fest

The Charley West BBQ Fest is quickly approaching! This annual fundraiser supports the Bob Burdette Center and brings the community together for a great day of food, friendly competition, and live entertainment. This year’s festival will take place from 2:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on May 16, 2026, at City Center at Slack Plaza in Charleston, WV. Attendees can look forward to barbecue cooking competitions, along with live music performances throughout ... Continue Reading »