Mission Statement
To inspire and enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to realize their full potential as productive, responsible, and caring citizens.
Vision for the Next Century
We envision a future in which the Boys & Girls Club Movement is a catalyst for an age in which success is within reach of every child, and whole generations of children are inspired to a level of civic engagement not seen since the founding of our nation.
The Boys& Girls Club of Carbondale (BGCC) serves school age children from 6-18 years old by providing a curriculum of positive activities during after school hours. By offering programs in five core areas including: Character & Leadership Development; Education & Career Development; Health & Life Skills; The Arts; and Sports, Fitness, and Recreation, BGCC works to generate, enhance, and reinforce, academic, social, and character education in collaboration with schools, community groups, and families.
Organizational History
Following a fatal shooting between three high school students in 1997, a citizens group formed for the purpose of building an
after school program for teens to provide positive activity alternatives. The“Carbondale Community Teen Center” incorporated as a not-for-profit organization and provided limited programs for two periods between 2000 and 2003. Re-assessing the approach led organizers to expand the service age and affiliate with the Boys & Girls Club of America to form the Boys & Girls Club of Carbondale. With local School District support, BGCC acquired the former gym and lower level of the original Carbondale High School which was extensively renovated and opened to serve BGCC members in September, 2004. The City of Carbondale was honored as a finalist for the Governor’s Cup for Community Volunteerism in support of youth development initiatives in 2005
for its efforts to bring this Club to life. BGCC celebrated its 7thAnniversary in September, 2011 and continues to mature and expand in its programs offerings, outreach, and partnerships throughout the community.
About the Movement
For more than 150 years, Clubs have been helping kids reach their full potential.
The Good Will Club in Hartford, Conn., circa 1900.
Boys & Girls Clubs of America had its beginnings in 1860 with three women in Hartford, Conn.: Mary Goodwin, Alice Goodwin and Elizabeth Hammersley. Believing that boys who roamed the streets should have a positive alternative, they organized the first Club. A cause was born.
History Highlights
In 1906, several Boys Clubs decided to affiliate. The Federated Boys Clubs in Boston was formed with 53 member organizations – this marked the start of a nationwide Movement and our national organization.
In 1931, the Boys Club Federation of America became Boys Clubs of America.
In 1956, Boys Clubs of America celebrated its 50th anniversary and received a U.S. Congressional Charter.
To recognize the fact that girls are a part of our cause, the national organization's name was changed to Boys & Girls Clubs of America in 1990. Accordingly, Congress amended and renewed our charter.
2006 marked the Centennial year of Boys & Girls Clubs of America, as we celebrated 100 years of providing hope and opportunity to young people across the country.
Building Character
Character development has been the cornerstone of the Boys & Girls Club experience since the first Club opened in 1860. The first Club professional, John Collins, devised a system of informal guidance to attract boys into the Club, capture their interest, improve their behavior and increase their personal expectations and goals.
The procedures Collins used constituted a clearly planned, socially scientific system of taking boys off the street and promoting their development towards a successful, productive future. This system formed the basis of the Boys & Girls Club environment. It is still in use today with proven results.
Boys & Girls Clubs of America believes that character development, the basic building block in personal development, should be an integral aspect of every Club program and activity. In support of this conviction, Aaron Fahringer, a regional director for the west coast in the 1950s, scripted the Boys & Girls Club Code as part of the celebration of the
golden anniversary of the Movement. The code was adopted as official by the National Council in 1955, and was used extensively in the 50s and 60s. The Code is still displayed in many Clubs today.
To inspire and enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to realize their full potential as productive, responsible, and caring citizens.
Vision for the Next Century
We envision a future in which the Boys & Girls Club Movement is a catalyst for an age in which success is within reach of every child, and whole generations of children are inspired to a level of civic engagement not seen since the founding of our nation.
The Boys& Girls Club of Carbondale (BGCC) serves school age children from 6-18 years old by providing a curriculum of positive activities during after school hours. By offering programs in five core areas including: Character & Leadership Development; Education & Career Development; Health & Life Skills; The Arts; and Sports, Fitness, and Recreation, BGCC works to generate, enhance, and reinforce, academic, social, and character education in collaboration with schools, community groups, and families.
Organizational History
Following a fatal shooting between three high school students in 1997, a citizens group formed for the purpose of building an
after school program for teens to provide positive activity alternatives. The“Carbondale Community Teen Center” incorporated as a not-for-profit organization and provided limited programs for two periods between 2000 and 2003. Re-assessing the approach led organizers to expand the service age and affiliate with the Boys & Girls Club of America to form the Boys & Girls Club of Carbondale. With local School District support, BGCC acquired the former gym and lower level of the original Carbondale High School which was extensively renovated and opened to serve BGCC members in September, 2004. The City of Carbondale was honored as a finalist for the Governor’s Cup for Community Volunteerism in support of youth development initiatives in 2005
for its efforts to bring this Club to life. BGCC celebrated its 7thAnniversary in September, 2011 and continues to mature and expand in its programs offerings, outreach, and partnerships throughout the community.
About the Movement
For more than 150 years, Clubs have been helping kids reach their full potential.
The Good Will Club in Hartford, Conn., circa 1900.
Boys & Girls Clubs of America had its beginnings in 1860 with three women in Hartford, Conn.: Mary Goodwin, Alice Goodwin and Elizabeth Hammersley. Believing that boys who roamed the streets should have a positive alternative, they organized the first Club. A cause was born.
History Highlights
In 1906, several Boys Clubs decided to affiliate. The Federated Boys Clubs in Boston was formed with 53 member organizations – this marked the start of a nationwide Movement and our national organization.
In 1931, the Boys Club Federation of America became Boys Clubs of America.
In 1956, Boys Clubs of America celebrated its 50th anniversary and received a U.S. Congressional Charter.
To recognize the fact that girls are a part of our cause, the national organization's name was changed to Boys & Girls Clubs of America in 1990. Accordingly, Congress amended and renewed our charter.
2006 marked the Centennial year of Boys & Girls Clubs of America, as we celebrated 100 years of providing hope and opportunity to young people across the country.
Building Character
Character development has been the cornerstone of the Boys & Girls Club experience since the first Club opened in 1860. The first Club professional, John Collins, devised a system of informal guidance to attract boys into the Club, capture their interest, improve their behavior and increase their personal expectations and goals.
The procedures Collins used constituted a clearly planned, socially scientific system of taking boys off the street and promoting their development towards a successful, productive future. This system formed the basis of the Boys & Girls Club environment. It is still in use today with proven results.
Boys & Girls Clubs of America believes that character development, the basic building block in personal development, should be an integral aspect of every Club program and activity. In support of this conviction, Aaron Fahringer, a regional director for the west coast in the 1950s, scripted the Boys & Girls Club Code as part of the celebration of the
golden anniversary of the Movement. The code was adopted as official by the National Council in 1955, and was used extensively in the 50s and 60s. The Code is still displayed in many Clubs today.
