Club History in Kansas City

1912:  Judge E. F. Porterfield’s group, Juvenile Improvement Club, raises $60,000 to open the Boys Hotel

1916:  Young boys are charged $2.50-$3.00 per week to live in the Boys Hotel. They can pay $4 for the luxury of a private room.

1921:  The organization joins the Boys Club Federation, the forerunner of today’s Boys & Girls Clubs of America.

1932:  Boys Hotel closes

1934:  J.R. Battenfield, Joyce Hall, H. Roe Bartle and others from Rotary Club #13 conclude that the Boys Hotel facilities should operate as a Boys Club.

 1935:  John Thornberry, a thirty-five-year-old lawyer in Joplin, MO, is invited to expand the development of the Boys Club of Kansas City, Missouri.

October 25, 1935:  The Club re-opens. Within a month, 997 boys between the ages of 7 and 18 are members.
1968:  Thornberry Unit opens at East 43rd Street and Cleveland under Chairman Gordon T. Beaham, III.

1976:  The Board of Directors vote to admit girls into membership under Chairman Col. Charles McGee.

1984:  The Genesis School, an accredited alternative high school for children who were unsuccessful in a public school setting, relocates its program to the John Thornberry Unit.

April, 1986:  The Clubs open their 23rd Street Unit in the Bob Jones Memorial Building at the Niles Home.

June, 1987:  The Clubs are asked by the De La Salle School to run a year-round extension program for neighborhood children.

October, 1988:  At the request of the Kansas City, MO Housing Authority and funded by “Start-Up” money from ACTION, the Club opens a unit inside the Pennway West Plaza Housing Project.

1992:  The Boys & Girls Clubs become a major local sponsor of the Reviving Baseball in the Inner City (RBI) program with 60 participants.

2009:  By the end of the year, the  Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Kansas City will have nearly 7,000 members and serve over 1,200 youth every day. Over 850 youth will participate in the RBI program this year.

Boys & Girls Clubs of America History

1954 - Boys Club founded
1959 - United Way funding started
1960 - Girls Club founded
1962 - Women's Auxiliary started
1964 - Gymnasium opened
1967 - Girls Clubhouse dedicated
1976 - Child development started
1976 - Physical Education honor award
1978 - Model Cities Project
1978 - Teen Center started
1980 - Environmental Award
1981 - Boys and Girls Clubs merged
1982 - Christmas Tree Lane started
1983 - Auction started
1983 - Milestone: 1,000 Members registered

1984 - Foundation started
1984 - National Photography Award
1985 - Kash For Kids started
1986 - Collaboration with Head Start
1987 - Adopted by Board of Realtors
1988 - National Marketing Awards
1989 - Tele-Pal Award
1990 - Boys & Girls Club of Your City founded
1990 - Child Care Center opened
1991 - Milestone: 2,000 Members registered
1992 - Outreach '91 Partner
1992 - New Branch opened
1992 - Golf Tournament debuts
1993 – New Branch opened

1993 - Golden Rule award
1994 - Alumni Hall of Fame
1994 - 40th Anniversary
1995 - Sports Field dedicated
1996 - National Professional of the Year Award
1997 - Milestone: 3,000 Members registered
1997 - New Clubhouse opened
1997 - College Scholarships started
1997 - Critical Hours started
1998 - New Branch opened
1998 - Land donated
1998 - New Branch opened
1999 - Safe Havens Campaign started
2006 - Boys & Girls Clubs of America celebrates 100 years of hope and opportunity

Today

A recent program evaluation was undertaken by the Boys & Girls Clubs to gather detailed information about the strengths and weaknesses of various programs.

Some notable results are:

• 80% of youth participated in at least one community service activity monthly.
• 91% of youth participating in computer classes demonstrated an increase in knowledge and problem solving skills, and 82% showed an improved attitude toward learning.
• 90% of parents surveyed reported that the Clubs have helped keep their children off drugs.
• 100% of members participating in our Gang Prevention Program were not involved in gang activity.

The Future

While our achievements are extensive, we are committed to continue aggressively expanding our services to reach more children. We envision a future in which the Boys & Girls Club Movement is a catalyst for an age in which success is within reach of every child, and whole generations of children are inspired to a level of civic engagement not seen since the founding of our nation.