OUR HISTORY
Boys & Girls Clubs of America had its beginnings in 1860 with
several women in Hartford, Conn. Believing that boys who roamed
the streets should have a positive alternative, they organized
the first Club. A cause was born.
In 1906, several Boys Clubs decided to affiliate. The Federated
Boys Clubs in Boston was formed with 53 member organizations.
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.
Our Heritage
Boys and Girls Clubs of Rochester is a local autonomous,
not-for-profit organization with ties to a national affiliate.
Although other cities have had Boys Clubs for more than
a hundred years, Rochester was without a club of its own
until the 1970’s.
In the summer of 1971, two prominent Rochesterians
who were members of the national organization’s board
of directors–Paul Miller, then president and CEO of the
Gannett Company, and Howard Carver, then CEO of
Gleason Works–assembled a small group of area leaders
to form a club for Rochester youth. Early supporters
included F. Ritter Shumway, Lester Frankenstein,
Alan Boucher, Calvin Mayne and Gilbert McCurdy.
The club’s first headquarters building was located on
the old Rochester Institute of Technology city campus in
the Third Ward. By October of 1980, the headquarters had
moved to its current location at 500 Genesee Street to
better serve its primary client base–the youth of Rochester
and the surrounding areas.
Through the years, the programs and services have grown
in both number and quality. Today, Boys & Girls Clubs of
Rochester offers a multitude of nationally recognized
programs that have proven themselves effective–
programs that address today’s most pressing youth issues,
teaching young people the skills they need to succeed in life.
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