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Boys & Girls Clubs of America

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Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) is a national organization of local chapters which provide voluntary after-school programs for young people. The organization, which holds a congressional charter under Title 36 of the United States Code, has its headquarters in Atlanta, with regional offices in Chicago, Dallas, Atlanta, New York City and Los Angeles.[1] BGCA is tax-exempt and partially funded by the federal government.[2]

Boys & Girls Clubs of America
Formation1906
TypeYouth organization
Legal statusNon-profit organization
HeadquartersAtlanta, Georgia
Region served
United States
President and CEO
Jim Clark
Websitebgca.org

History

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The first Boys' Club was founded in 1860 in Hartford, Connecticut, by three women, Elizabeth Hamersley and sisters Mary and Alice Goodwin.[3] In 1906, 53 independent Boys' Clubs came together in Boston to form a national organization, the Federated Boys' Clubs. In 1931, the organization renamed itself Boys' Clubs of America, and in 1990, to Boys & Girls Clubs of America. As of 2010, there are over 4,000 autonomous local clubs, which are affiliates of the national organization. In total these clubs serve more than four million boys and girls. Clubs can be found in all 50 states as well as locations in Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and US military bases. In total, Boys & Girls Clubs of America employ about 50,000 staff members.[4]

 
Boys Club of New York, Lower East Side of Manhattan, New York City, New York
 
Boys & Girls Club of Parkersburg, West Virginia

The Chronicle of Philanthropy ranked Boys & Girls Clubs of America number one among youth organizations for the 13th consecutive year, and number 12 among all nonprofit organizations. The Boys & Girls Clubs of America is the official charity of Major League Baseball.[5]

Denzel Washington, a former club member, has been the spokesperson for Boys & Girls Clubs of America for over 25 years, since 1993.[6] and in 2006, for the organization's 100 anniversary, helped put together together with Daniel Paisner, a book that underscores the lesson: “If you want to change the world, start by changing the life of a child”. "A hand to guide me" features examples from leaders as they tell their life-changing stories of mentorship, when as youngsters they were guided by a caring adult, which shaped the rest of their life, including over 70 of America's leading personalities in theatre, sports, business, and politics such as Presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, Whoopi Goldberg, Muhammad Ali, Yogi Berra, Toni Morrison, Cal Ripken Jr. and Colin Powell.[7]

Lists of founders

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Boys Clubs of America, 1940

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These people came together in 1940 to create the Boys Clubs of America:[8]

Boys & Girls Clubs of America, 1990

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In 1990, Boys Clubs of America was succeeded by Boys & Girls Clubs of America, which was founded by the following people:

Notable members

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Some notable members of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America:[10]

Donations received

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Following the success of the film Black Panther, in 2018 Disney donated $1 million to Boys & Girls Clubs of America for the development of STEM programs in the United States.[12] The donation was to be allocated to help grow the group's national STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) curriculum.[12] According to Mimi LeClair, president and CEO of Boys and Girls Clubs of Chicago, it is very important for young people to have a solid background in STEM to compete in the global economy.[13]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Mad._Sq_AR_FINAL_reference.pdf" (PDF). Boys & Girls Clubs – Madison Square. March 17, 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 29, 2013. Retrieved April 29, 2014.
  2. ^ "Home – Madison Square Boys & Girls Club" (PDF). Madison Square Boys & Girls Club. March 17, 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 6, 2010. Retrieved April 19, 2014.
  3. ^ Kofi, Lomotey (2010). Encyclopedia of African-American Education. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 111. ISBN 9781412940504.
  4. ^ Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Boys & Girls Club Leadership University. "COREv2: History of the Boys & Girls Club."
  5. ^ "MLB Community: Programs: Boys and Girls Clubs of America". MLB Advanced Media, L.P. June 19, 2012. Archived from the original on April 10, 2014. Retrieved April 19, 2014.
  6. ^ King, Scott. "Denzel Washington Shares Spotlight With Boys & Girls Clubs Of America Award Winner". Forbes. Retrieved 2024-10-08.
  7. ^ "Denzel Washington: A Hand to Guide Me | Leading Blog: A Leadership Blog". www.leadershipnow.com. Retrieved 2024-10-08.
  8. ^ "Title 36 – Patriotic Societies and Observances". US Congress. May 11, 1994. Archived from the original on July 23, 2012. Retrieved April 19, 2014 – via resource.org.
  9. ^ "John L. Burns, 87, Former Head of Boys Club", The New York Times, 11 September 1996, retrieved September 1, 2015
  10. ^ Great Futures Start Here. (n.d.). Retrieved June 3, 2013, from "Great Futures Start Here". Archived from the original on November 24, 2011. Retrieved November 14, 2011.
  11. ^ "Evander Holyfield". Alumni Hall of Fame. Boys & Girls Club of America. Archived from the original on December 30, 2014. Retrieved March 17, 2015.
  12. ^ a b Gibbs, Alexandra (February 27, 2018). "In honor of 'Black Panther' success, Disney donates $1 million to Boys & Girls Clubs of America for development of STEM program". CNBC. Retrieved February 28, 2018.
  13. ^ "Solid STEM background is important for youth to compete in the global economy". ABC7 Chicago. February 26, 2018. Retrieved February 28, 2018.
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