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.[2] BGCA is tax-exempt and partially funded by the federal government.[3]
The Boys and Girls Club logo was designed by Saul Bass in 1978.
| |
| Formation | 1860; 164 years ago (1860) |
|---|---|
| Type | Youth organization |
| Legal status | Non-profit organization |
| Purpose | "Club programs and services promote and enhance the development of boys and girls by instilling a sense of competence, usefulness, belonging and influence." |
| Headquarters | Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. |
Region served | United States |
Budget (2016) | $1.85 billion (revenue) $1.73 billion (expenses)[1] |
| Website | bgca.org |
The first Boys' Club was founded in 1860 in Hartford, Connecticut, by three women, Elizabeth Hamersley and sisters Mary and Alice Goodwin.[4] 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.[5]
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.[6] Denzel Washington, a former club member, has been the spokesperson for Boys & Girls Clubs of America since 1993.[citation needed]
These people came together in 1940 to create the Boys Clubs of America:[7]
In 1990, Boys Clubs of America was succeeded by Boys & Girls Clubs of America, which was founded by the following people:
Some notable members of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America:[9]
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.[11] The donation was to be allocated to help grow the group's national STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) curriculum.[11]
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.[12]
