Boys & Girls Clubs of Philadelphia is a non-profit organization located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania."Boys & Girls Club of Philadelphia announces fourth annual ‘Philly Showcase of Wine & Cheese", philly.com, March 29, 2016."Boys & Girls Club of Phila. now run by a married couple", bizjournals.com, March 25, 2012."Boys & Girls Clubs Of Philadelphia Launches 'A Bold Change For Kids' Campaign", corporate.comcast.com, May 19, 2015. The organization is a member of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.Angelly Carrión, "New Projects In Store for Seven Boys & Girls Club Branches in Philadelphia", phillymag.com, March 20, 2015.Erin Edinger-Turoff, "Boys and Girls Club denies campus salesman", temple-news.com, January 21, 2014.
History Boys & Girls Clubs of Philadelphia was established in 1887 in the city's Germantown neighborhood."Boys and Girls Club Philadelphia - Our History" , bgcphila.org, In 1892, the group expanded to the Nice town neighborhood and became the first club to serve girls. A third location opened in Wissahickon in1896 and was the first youth club in the United States to serve Black youth.
In 1906 the Germantown, Wissahickon and Nice town clubs joined the Federated Boys Clubs, a precursor to Boys & Girls Clubs of America. As of March 2021, the organization had 22 clubs in all areas of Philadelphia. Several suspended operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2012 Joseph & Lisabeth Marziello were hired as co-CEOs.Cheryl Elias, "Philadelphia Boys & Girls Clubs Hosts Showcase Of Wine And Cheese Fundraiser", philadelphia.cbslocal.com, May 5, 2013 In 2015, the organization announced a $40 million capital campaign called Bold Change for Kids in order to build two new facilities and to renovate 6 more. The drive was supported by Comcast Corporation and the fundraising committee was headed by Comcast CEO Brian L. Roberts.Amy Seasholtz, "Comcast to lead $40m fund-raising drive for phila. Boys & girls clubs", philanthropynetwork.org, May 19, 2015 The original aim of the fundraising drive was the demolition of the 19th century Germantown club, located at 23-25 W. Penn Street, to be replaced with a new building with modern facilities. The plan was aborted after local residents objected.
Services Boys & Girls Clubs of Philadelphia programs focus on core areas of youth development including education, career development, leadership, health, life skills, arts and sports.Colin Graf, "MetaSource Supports Technology Upgrade for Boys & Girls Club of Philadelphia", metasource.com, February 17, 2015Jason Lee, "Philly Wine And Cheese Festival", phl17.com, APRIL 8, 2016 One program, the Call to Action Literacy Initiative, utilizes the Slingerland Multi-Sensory Approach to help students develop a range of learning styles using kinesthetic, auditory and visual learning techniques."Boys & Girls Clubs of America Prepares Youth for Back to School Season with 'Stuff the Bus' Challenge", wmcactionnews5.com,
During the 2015–16 program year, over 1,200 youth participated in this critical program.
See also Boys & Girls Clubs of America Gloria Wise Boys and Girls Clubs Boys & Girls Clubs of Canada Essex Boys and Girls Clubs The Boys' and Girls' Clubs Association of Hong Kong
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