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History of Boys & Girls Clubs of America
The Boys and Girls Club Movement began in the United States
during the Civil War. Its inception is traced to Hartford,
Connecticut with the formation of the Dashaway Club to serve
needy boys in the community.
Boys & Girls Clubs of
America had its beginnings in 1860 when several women, believing that boys who roamed the streets
should have a positive alternative, organized the first
Club. A cause was born. The idea spread to other areas of
the country and more Clubs were formed. The first Club to use
“Boys Club” in its official title was the Boys Club of New York
in 1876. At this time, the Clubs served only boys.
In 1906, the existing 50 Clubs joined together to form a
national organization known as the Boys Club of America.
The Federated Boys Clubs in Boston was formed
with 53 member organizations.
In
1956, Boys Clubs of
America celebrated its 50th anniversary and President Eisenhower gave the national organization a
Congressional Charter – a rare honor bestowed on only a few
non-profit organizations in our country’s history.
In response to a growing need, the Boys Clubs began to also
serve girls. In 1990, the national organization officially
changed its name to Boys and Girls Clubs of America. Today there
are over 4,000 Clubs in the United States serving over 4,000,000
members. There are similar organizations in Germany, Australia,
Canada, and many other countries around the world.
History of Boys & Girls Clubs of
South Puget Sound
Our
organization has been built around a rich history that started
on 25th and Yakima in 1940. The Tacoma Boys Club at
711 South 25th Street located on the site of
Longfellow School, was dedicated on April 24, 1942.
 The $25,000
colonial structure was located in an area with a high rate of
juvenile delinquency. It was founded by Judge Fred Remann to
fulfill the social needs of boys 6-16 and
provide
them with proper guidance, while keeping them occupied and out
of trouble. The Salvation Army owned the facility and provided
the Club with a yearly budget. After some time there was a
struggle that ensued when the Boys Club wanted to proceed with
doing business on their own. Eventually they separated from
Salvation Army.
The Clubs served many kids in the area and soon
became very popular leading to the development of other new
Clubs beginning with the South End in 1954. The Eastside Club
soon followed beginning operations in the Hillsdale Community
Center and the Northwest Club started as an athletic association
that eventually evolved into a Club operating in a remodeled
church at 30th and Cheyenne. A capital campaign was
held in 1979 leading to the construction of the current Davies
and Gonyea Branch opened in 1981, which was spearheaded by Doug
Gonyea.
In 1965 recognizing the need to develop an
association with all Clubs in Tacoma, Boys Clubs of Tacoma was formed. In 1982 the organization officially
changed its name to Boys & Girls Clubs of Tacoma. During this time Boys Clubs of America changed its name
to Boys & Girls Clubs of America and Boys & Girls Clubs of
Tacoma began formally serving girls as
members. The Clubs worked hard to develop training and facility
improvements that would provide equal access and inclusion for
girls.
Other communities saw the importance of the work
being done in Tacoma. A group of business leaders, with strong
support from the Lakewood Rotary Club, began raising funds in
1993 to establish a Club in Lakewood. In 1996
construction began on the branch facility adjacent to Lakeview Elementary
School and a new Club was dedicated in 1997 as the
Lakewood Branch. The organization became B
In 1999 the Board approved the $5.9 million
Campaign for Kids designed to improve and enhance the
existing Clubs along with providing dollars targeted at staff
retention, worker benefits and training. In 2001 the Campaign
for Kids $5.9 million goal was exceeded by nearly $1.3 million,
reaching a total of $7.2 million.
Construction and renovation took place during the
campaign and in 2001 the first BOTTLAB, (Building
Opportunity Through Technology) opened at the East Side Branch. In 2002
and 2003 renovations to the East Side, D.A. Gonyea and Al Davies
Clubs were completed, finishing the first phase of the growth
and development plan. The new
look to the facilities attracted more kids and got the board
even more excited about the organizations future. As more and
more communities witnessed the success of the organization and
in response to many requests to move into unserved or
underserved areas in 2002, the South Pierce County Branch was
formed and began by operating Outreach Sites in Bethel and
Franklin Pierce School Districts. In 2003 the Outreach program
expanded to include three additional schools.
The Boys & Girls Clubs of West Sound was started in the Belfair
area and was operating successfully when it joined our
organization in 2003 becoming the North Mason Branch Teen
Center. As part of the North Mason Branch two outreach sites
also began operating in two elementary schools in Mason County.
As a part of the strategic plan the organization
set its sites on reaching out to unserved or under served
communities. This led to yet another name change better
reflecting the current and future areas the organization planned
on serving over the next ten years. In 2003 the organization
became Boys & Girls Clubs of South Puget Sound.
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