Our History

The Franciscan Sisters of Baltimore started the Franciscan Youth Center (FYC) in 1985, using the former convent of St. Annís Church on Greenmount Avenue in East Baltimore. Sr. Kathleen DeLancey opened the doors in response to community members who had expressed a need for a safe place where neighborhood children could participate in after-school academic, recreation and enrichment activities. In 1989, Sister Claire Parenteau took over leadership and remained Director for the next twelve years. In 2004, at the invitation of Councilwoman Mary Pat Clarke and the community, FYC moved its programming base to the Waverly Recreation Center. Regardless of location, from the multitude of children who came to the Center each in the 1980's and 1990's to the children who come today, FYC has remained a haven of safety and acceptance for the children.