Boys and Girls Club History Paper

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Boys and Girls Club of America Anthony J. Cole COMM/215 February 10,2011 Ruben Diaz Boys and Girls Club of America Almost everyone has heard of the Boys and Girls Club of America and everyone has an idea of their purpose and function within our communities. Like their name people assume they help troubled boys and girls across America. Assuming that this is true how did they get their start, and what other functions do they perform for the youth of America. The BGCA can trace its lineage back to 1860 in the town of Hartford, Connecticut were some civic mined women got together to provide a recreational program for local boys, calling it the Dashaway Club. These ladies program were considered the first attempt in the United States to provide out-of-school programs. During the Civil War the club disbanded for a short time, but soon reorganized in 1880 as the Good Will Boy’s Club. The majority of these clubs were located in densely populated east coast cities and by 1906 there were 53 total. Around this time representatives from all the clubs got together and formed the Federated Boy’s Club with the purpose to spread their concept across the country. By 1915 the Federated Boy’s Club changed its name to the Boy’s Club Federation boasting 43 clubs nationally with an operating budget of 3,500 dollars. During the World War One the club established a program sending 200,000 boys, 16 and older to work on farms, thus allowing older men to join the armed service. By 1931 again the Boy’s Club Federation was reorganized and took the name of the Boys’ Clubs of America with 275 clubs including Canada and Great Britain serving a quarter-million boys (Boys & Girls Club of America, 2011) . During the Great Depression the Boys’ Club of America did more than just provide after school activities, they now were feeding and clothing children across America. During the Second

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