Mission of the Boys and Girls Club…
To inspire and enable all young people, especially
those from disadvantaged circumstances, to
realize their full potential as productive,
responsible and caring citizens.
The Boys and Girls Club Provides…
A safe place to learn and grow…
Ongoing relationships with caring, adult professionals…
Life-enhancing programs and character development experiences…
Hope and opportunity…
- 1860… Boys & Girls Clubs of America were originally clubs for boys. They had their beginning with several women in Hartford, Connecticut. Believing that boys who roamed the streets should have a positive alternative, they organized the first Club. A cause was born.
- 1906… Several Boys Clubs decided to affiliate. The Federated Boys Clubs in Boston was formed with 53 member organizations.
- 1931… The Boys Club Federation of America became Boys Clubs of America.
- 1956… Boys Clubs of America celebrated its 50th anniversary and received a U.S. Congressional Charter.
- 1990… To recognize the fact that girls are a part of our cause, the national organization’s name was changed to Boys & Girls Clubs of America. Accordingly, Congress amended and renewed our charter.
The eight children we interviewed by the end of the project are only a small fraction of the 3.3 million boys and girls in the 2,591 Boys & Girls Clubs around the world.
Of the millions of children in the Clubs…
~49% live in single parent families
~38% live in families with three or more children
~61% are from minority families
~19% are 7 years old and under
~31% are 8-10 years old
~28% are 11-13 years old
~22% are 14-18 years old
~59% are male
~41% are female
The Boys & Girls Club of Central Pennsylvania was founded as a part-time venture in 1939 at St. Paul’s Methodist Church in Harrisburg, initially serving 75 boys. In 1943, under the direction of Robert Clemments, the Club’s first professional director, the club began its full-time operation in a one room building at its present site, serving 200 boys. By 1962 Club membership had swelled to over 1,000 necessitating enlarging the Berryhill facility. By 1968 membership had grown to over 1,300. In order to meet the needs of an increasing membership as well as providing services in another section of the city the Club opened a second clubhouse on Hanover Street in south Harrisburg in 1981. Known as the John N. Hall Clubhouse, this unit was significantly enlarged in 1994. A third unit was opened in 1997 in the Howard Day Homes. This unit, a joint effort of the Harrisburg Housing Authority and the B&GCH, is known as the Cumberland Road Clubhouse and current serves over 200 children in their mid-town Harrisburg neighborhood. In 1999, a fourth unit was opened in the Borough of Steelton, PA. This unit is known as the Steelton Clubhouse and serves over 300 children in the Steelton community.
In 2001 the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Pennsylvania are the places where over 2,500 high-risk kids can call their own. The four neighborhoods’ Clubhouses offer a drug-free, alcohol-free atmosphere with caring professionals. The Clubs provide not only a safe and positive place to be, but also offer programs that address the multiple challenges that boys and girls face today. Some of these activities include:
- Socialization and team building through sports and recreation
- Vocational motivation through training and job placement
- Educational motivation through remedial studies and tutoring
- Individual and group guidance to address special needs and develop specific talents
All information provided by Boys & Girls Clubs of America: http://www.bgca.org
How it All Began The Kids Reflections The Gallery
This project was brought to you by
American Mosaic
Dickinson College
Dana Macphee, class of 2004
Lisa Wheeler, class of 2003