Boys & Girls Club of America is a national voluntary organization aimed at helping young people reach their full potential regardless of their background and circumstances. The organization’s headquarters is located in Atlanta, but numerous regional offices are administrating thousands of local clubs throughout the country. BGCA was founded in 1860 by three women, sisters Mary and Alice Goodwin and Elizabeth Hamersley (Boys & Girls Clubs of America, 2021). They believed that all children, regardless of whether they have a family and how much their parents earn, deserve to show and reveal their talents and have a chance for a promising happy future. Gradually, the founders managed to unite independent Boys’ Clubs and began a significant national movement. Eventually, in 1990, girls became part of the organization’s cause.
Private and public donations fund the work of BGCA. The organization uses social media to promote awareness and increase interest and support for its activities. So, for example, there is a unique hashtag #InvestInKids that contributors are encouraged to use to tell about a good deed they did (Boys & Girls Clubs of America, 2021). The organization also has other individual and corporate benefactors who regularly support its financial stability and are partly funded by the US government.
BGCA is primarily focused on granting after-school programs to youth and teens. The organization is committed to building a safe and supportive community where children in different life situations can grow up as “productive, caring, responsible citizens” (Boys & Girls Clubs of America, 2021). The organization’s website describes various programs to help young people cope with expectant adulthood and find themselves. There are also contacts and a map by which parents can find the local club closest to them. Parents can be sure of BGCA’s reliability and the quality of assistance because all the programs are tested and nationally accepted.
Reference
Boys & Girls Clubs of America. (2021). Boys & Girls Clubs of America – providing millions of kids and teens a safe place to develop essential skills, make lasting connections and have fun.