The Boys and Girls Club of America

Boys and Girls Club of America began its existence in 1860 in Hartford, Connecticut with the initial founders being three women, Elizabeth Hammersley, Alice Goodwin, and Mary Goodwin. The mission of the first club was to provide a better alternative for the roaming boys, to unlock their individual potential as responsible citizens. By 1906, there were 53 Boys as club members, and the recruiting agency had widely spread around the country. Since the women had started the club with the aim of empowering the roaming boys, they conceived the idea of including girls into the club by deciding to form one organized Club called The Federated Boys’ Clubs, in Boston back in 1906. In 1931, the club was renamed as Boys Clubs of America. In recognition of the fact that a girl was an integral part in the development of a boy, the group invited girls into the organization, integrated them, and renamed the group as the Boys and Girls Clubs of America.

The main goal of the Boys and Girls Clubs of America is helping of the young people to develop such traits of character as; productivity, responsibility, and grow them up as caring citizens. To achieve this the tutors use education programs to help children identify their career opportunities and enhancement; character programs that provide the young people with skills that improve their decision-making; and other programs that improve health and life skills, sports, fitness and recreation; various specialized programs.