"Fauquier's Future is our Children"

 


The History of BGCA

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.

The History of Boys and Girls Clubs of Fauquier

     In 1994 when I retired from the General Assembly of Virginia a number of  Fauquier citizens, Catherine Ann Carter, Barbara Rodriquez, Jim Brumfield, Ann Nelson, Bill Barr, and others met with Buddy Curtis and myself to talk about having a program for young girls and boys. The people of Fauquier felt that a major problem in this community was that there was nothing to do on a daily basis for young people. All kinds of programs were considered, boxing, wrestling, YMCA, YWCA, Big Brothers and etc. One evening Buddy and myself visited The Boys and Girls Club in Dale City and I’ll never forget the statement Buddy made as we walked in the front door; “This is exactly what we need for our youth in Fauquier.” Now we had a dream!!

     It took almost three years to get this project off the ground and in November 1997 the Boys and Girls Clubs of Fauquier open our doors at Taylor Middle School. This was made possible by the Town of Warrenton, County of Fauquier, the School System and many dedicated people.

     From 1997 to 2004 the Club struggled and barely succeeded only because of dedicated people like Buddy Curtis, Executive Director Jon Gregory, Jerry Wood, Robert Wiles, John Morgan, Sarah Rossi, and Jerry Medlock. Help was tough to find and money was even harder to obtain.

     Then along came Stephen Athey, who donated his time, money and influence to the Club and suddenly positive changes happened.

     In December 2005 having out grown Taylor Middle School, each year turning away 200 to 300 young people and the Club is only open when the school is open and we are very limited in the amount of space that can be utilized by the Club; the Town of Warrenton donated a piece of land in Stephen Athey’s name to the Club. Unfortunately the land deal with the Town of Warrenton did not work out and we were offer by Kim and Mike Forsten to purchase The Old Town Athletic Club. This building is 15,000 square feet and is located on Keith Street in Warrenton. This building will serve our purpose and we were very lucky that this opportunity presented itself. The death of Steve in early 2005 meant that he never witness the results of his hard work.

     Now with a contract on the Old Town Athletic Club, all that remains is raising 1.5 million dollars for the building that will be a positive place where young people (age 6 to 18) can come each day with adult guidance and supervision.

     We have been in our new 15,000 square foot building since December 2009, thanks to Jim Downey, local attorney. It is located at 169 Keith Street, Warrenton, Virginia. Equal Footing Foundation donated money for our Computer Club House and it is up and running. We continue to raise money to pay for the building.

     The Boys and Girls Clubs of America have a line-up of tested and proven nationally recognized programs that address the most contemporary issues of the day. Programs teaching young people the skills they need to succeed in life. Some of these are programs concerning education (study hall and tutors), health, the environment, the arts, careers (how to apply for a job, how to write a resume), alcohol and drug prevention (visits from local law enforcement and visit to a jail) pregnancy and gang prevention and all kinds of athletics.

     Our Clubs are working, (two units in Fauquier, one in Warrenton and the other in Bealeton), to help youth of all backgrounds, with special concern for those from disadvantaged circumstances. Increasing numbers of girls and boys are spending many hours alone at home with no adult supervision... Young people need responsible adult guidance, need to know someone cares about them and have capable adults to whom they can turn.

Will you please help us? Our children are our most important asset.

 

the positive place for kids


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Boys and Girls Clubs of Fauquier, Inc.