A Safe Haven: Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County
Just as the gates to Disney World were about to open, so were the doors of another magical place for children. This place had no rides or costumed characters but was a place where children’s dreams could come true; a place where kids could begin to imagine a world of opportunity.
One hundred boys from six to 18, who, most likely, would have been left alone afraid and at risk after school and throughout the summer, walked through those doors and found a safe place, a place where they would learn to share, to care and to strive to be the best they could be.
Max M. Fisher Boys & Girls Club in Riviera Beach.
(Images courtesy of Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County)
The newly opened Boys Club of the Palm Beaches was not just a safe haven, it was a home away from home for the area’s neediest boys. The organization knew it needed to open its doors to serve girls and, in 1989, became the Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County. This was just the beginning for the organization to impact those who need us most.
The Club today is more than an afterschool “swim and gym,” it has redefined what it means to be a Club member.
Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County is helping your people achieve their goals- from increasing academic achievement to advancing art and music skills, improving nutrition and fitness, graduating from college and starting careers.
Palm Beach County Club members.
The organization has advanced from that first Club to now having 20 Club locations in the poorest neighborhoods throughout Palm Beach County. During a remarkable 50 years, the Clubs have helped more than 100,000 children stay safe, graduate high school, attend college, and discover opportunities they never dreamed possible.
Today, Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County has grown from serving just 100 boys to more than 13,000 children and teens each year and has become part of the very fabric of Palm Beach County.
The goal at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County is to make sure children have the opportunity to be children-to learn, grow, and be loved!