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]
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
Boys Clubs of America, 1940
These people came together in 1940 to create the Boys Clubs of America:[8]
Following the success of the film Black Panther, in 2018 Disney donated $1million 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]
^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.
^"Evander Holyfield". Alumni Hall of Fame. Boys & Girls Club of America. Archived from the original on December 30, 2014. Retrieved March 17, 2015.
