Formation 1887 Headquarters Philadelphia | Type Youth organization | |
Motto "To enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens." 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." | ||
Boys & Girls Clubs of Philadelphia is a non-profit organization established in Philadelphia for young people. The organization is one of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.
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History
Boys & Girls Clubs of Philadelphia was established in 1887 with the opening of the Germantown Club. In 1892, the organization opened the Nicetown which became the first club to serve girls. In 1896 the Wissahickon club was opened and it became the first in the US to serve African American youth.
The three original Boys & Girls Clubs of Philadelphia in Germantown, Wissahickon and Nicetown were part of the Federated Boys Clubs that formed in 1906 as the precursor to Boys & Girls Clubs of America. Currently, Boys & Girls Clubs of Philadelphia is made up of at 16 Clubs which are serving youths across Philadelphia’s most impoverished communities. For the past 129 years, the Boys & Girls Clubs have been dedicated to ensuring that Philadelphia’s most economically disadvantaged youth have opportunities to enhance their lives.
In 2012 Boys & Girls Clubs of Philadelphia celebrated their 125th year anniversary. In the same year, the first husband and wife CEO Team; Joseph and Lisabeth Marziello, were hired to lead and transform the organization. In 2015, the organization launched $40 million Bold Change for Kids Capital Campaign which was spearheaded by Comcast Corp aimed at renovating 7 Club buildings throughout the city of Philadelphia. The $40 million fund-raising drive will allow the Boys and Girls Clubs of Philadelphia to demolish the Germantown club and replace it with a modern one named after the 95 year old founder of the Comcast Corp, Ralph J. Roberts who lived in Germantown as a young man and was part of the Boys and Girls Club in the neighborhood.
In 2013, Boys & Girls Clubs of Philadelphia launched the Call to Action Literacy Initiative to address Philadelphia’s literacy crisis. Currently operating in 12 Clubs, including three elementary extension sites, the Literacy Initiative utilizes the Slingerland Multi-Sensory Approach to engage youth in kinesthetic, auditory and visual learning. In the 2015-16 program year, over 1,200 youth participated in this critical program.
Services
Boys & Girls Clubs of Philadelphia provides quality programming to youth in neighborhoods across Philadelphia. The clubs foster creativity and opportunities for learning in core areas of youth development such as Education and Career Development, Character and Leadership Development, Health and Life skills, Arts and Culture, Sports and Recreation.