Yesterday in South Elgin, Illinois, we celebrated the opening of our 5,000th Boys & Girls Club, the most Clubhouses in our 163-year history.  

And while “the 5,000th Club” is a major mission milestone for our organization – which spans Native lands to military installations, rural and urban areas to public housing and school-based Clubs – the Club kids, staff and leaders of South Elgin have an even better name for it: “our Club.”  

At the 5,000th Club celebration yesterday, pride in their new Club was on full display. Club members and staff shared their new space with the community, partners and longtime champions of Boys & Girls Clubs. Denzel Washington, celebrating his 30th anniversary as Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s spokesperson, was there to throw the first handful of confetti.  

It was a day to remember – please see for yourself: 

Having a Boys & Girls Club to call your own is a pretty powerful thing.

Our impact is evident in the kids we serve: 83% of Club seniors applied for post-secondary education and 82% of Club kids believe they can make a difference in their community.  
For more than 160 years, Boys & Girls Clubs have been known as a second home for generations of Americans, providing more than 40 million youth with mentors, meals and meaningful life experiences.  

We’re an anchor in communities. An ally to schools. A partner to parents. And a springboard of potential for kids and teens.  

For more than a century and a half, the need for our services has not stalled or stopped, it’s continued to grow as kids, families and communities experienced firsthand the impact of Boys & Girls Clubs. 

Sometimes Club kids can say it (or in this case, sing it) better than I can: 

This week has meant a lot to me personally – I’ve dedicated my career to Boys & Girls Clubs because I believe in America’s kids and I believe in this mission. Building a better tomorrow for America’s youth keeps me up at night and energizes me each morning.  

For everyone who has been part of our story, I hope this mission milestone – and the more than 40 million youth served since the very first Club opened – means a lot to you. 

Congratulations to Elgin on your new Boys & Girls Club. 

To our supporters, partners and friends, we can’t thank you enough for your support now and in the future (yes, I’m already thinking of the 6,000th Club!). 

And for the 5,000 Clubs that open doors of opportunity for kids and teens every day across the nation and on U.S. military installations worldwide – thank you.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jim Clark 
President and CEO 
Boys & Girls Clubs of America 

Read the press release for the 5,000th Club Celebration. 

 

Join the Club 

Boys & Girls Clubs of America provides safe places, caring mentors and life-enhancing programs to millions of kids and teens annually. Join us on our mission of helping all young people reach their full potential: