Helping Youth Cope by Providing a Century of Hope - Boys & Girls Club of America Changes Lives for the Better -
by Tanisha Coleman (BPRW)
They believed that boys who roamed the streets should have a positive alternative, so they organized the first Club and the rest should we say is history - a cause was born. To recognize the fact that girls are also a part of the cause, the national organization's name was changed to Boys & Girls Clubs of America in 1990.
The Boys & Girls Club of America has been committed to helping youth cope by providing a century of hope. On a daily basis, Roxanne Spillett and her team strive to inspire and enable all young people, especially those from disadvantaged circumstances, to realize their full potential as productive, responsible and caring citizens. This is their primary mission and focus.
With a lineup of tested and proven nationally recognized programs that address today's most pressing youth issues, Boys & Girls Clubs of America teaches young people the skills they need to succeed in life. More than 25 national programs are available in the areas of education, the environment, health, the arts, careers, alcohol/drug and pregnancy prevention, gang prevention, leadership development and athletics.
National programs have taken members from the Clubhouse to the White House; from the games room to the corporate boardroom; from the high school orchestra to Carnegie Hall. There is also an impressive roster of celebrities who have benefited from the organization including Bill Cosby… Michael Jordan… Jackie Joyner-Kersee… and Denzel Washington, among others, who are all alumni of Boys & Girls Clubs of America.
When you consider this dynamic organization’s facts, you’ll realize that the scope of the movement is truly all that:
• more than 4.4 million boys & girls are served each day
• there are some 3,700 Club locations in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands plus domestic and international military bases
• there are some 44,000 trained professional staff who are committed to instilling a sense of competence, usefulness, belonging and influence in youth.
In every community, boys and girls are left to find their own recreation and companionship in the streets. An increasing number of children are at home with no adult care or supervision. Young people need to know that someone cares about them.
Boys & Girls Clubs offer that and more. Club programs and services promote and enhance the development of boys and girls by serving as a safe place to learn and grow … offering ongoing relationships with caring, adult professionals who are in the know ... establishing life-enhancing programs and character development experiences everyday ... to help youth cope in a mighty way … and offering hope and opportunity in every single community.
After a century of helping youth cope through opportunity and hope, the Boys & Girls Club of America has definitely changed lives for the better and will remain “The Positive Place For Kids” today and always.
