Boys & Girls Clubs Of Middlesex County

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Middlesex County (BGCMC) is a private not for profit organization. We provide core programming in the areas of; Character and Leadership Development, Education and Career Development, Health & Life Skills, The Arts, Sports, Fitness and Recreation, to promote and enhance the development of boys and girls that enable them to develop self-esteem and reach their full potential as responsible, caring and productive leaders of our community.

Description:
DID YOU KNOW?...

• Boys & Girls Clubs remains committed to being a

NON-FEE-FOR SERVICE agency. (The cost for programs
and services comes to approximately $550 per child
per year, but membership is only $30 per year. NO child is turned away because the family cannot afford the annual membership fee.)

• 70% of our members we serve in Cambridge,

Medford & Somerville live at or near the poverty
level.

• Our clubhouses provide a safe haven for young people during the most dangerous hours of the day, offering life-enhancing programs and character development experiences, hope and opportunity for the future.



History:
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Middlesex County, Inc. (BGCMC) was founded in 1967 when a group of citizens, concerned about boys who were drifting into difficulty with the law, formed the Somerville Boys Club. The Club opened its doors in September 1973, occupying the second floor of a former police station. In 1981, the organization acquired and renovated its present Washington St. Clubhouse and reopened in 1982 as the “Boys & Girls Club”, becoming one of the first clubs in the country to voluntarily admit girls.

Over the past decade, BGCMC has expanded its services to meet the needs in adjoining communities: in Medford we opened Gene Mack Clubhouse on Forest Street in March of 2000. We also expanded to the City of Cambridge in November of 2001 when we opened the Windsor Street Clubhouse adjacent to the Washington Elms/Newtowne Court Public Housing Development. Operations in Somerville were extended to include a clubhouse adjacent to the Mystic Public Housing Development and the Blessing of the Bay Boathouse, a facility on the Mystic River that provides environmental education during the school year and paddle sports during the summer months.

Today, the BGCMC serve an estimated 5,182 children and teens, ages 6-18 , in four clubhouses from 2:30-9:00 pm, Monday through Friday. Special programs are held during the summer months when school is in recess. The BGCMC is also in process of establishing a fifth Club in the City of Everett, to offer programming for teens in response to a need for character development, leadership and other enrichment programs that are currently unavailable to youths in that community.



Contact people:


Chile Eng, Executive Director, (phone), (email) Paul Goodman, Board President, (phone), (email)


Office fax number: (617) 623-1002

Address:


181 Washington Street Somerville, MA 02143 (See a map)


Web Site: http://www.kidsclubs.org

Directions:

Nearest Metro/Subway Stop: Sullivan Station (Orange Line),   Walk distance (in minutes): 10 For maps or information, please see http://www.mbta.com

Last updated on October 7, 2009