OUR

STORY

Since 1950, Boys & Girls Clubs of Kentuckiana (BGCK) has been in the forefront of youth development, working with young people from disadvantaged economic, social and family circumstances.

In 1950, members of the East End Optimist Club undertook the construction of the East End Boys Club. As the Club grew, the Optimists saw the need to incorporate this program as a separate non-profit entity in the state of Kentucky. In 1959, the East End Boys Club, Inc. was incorporated as a non-profit 501(c)3 organization and chartered by Boys Clubs of America. The new entity became a member of the Community Chest, the predecessor to the present Metro United Way. Today, both Metro United Way and the Optimist Club remain active and significant supporters of BGCK.

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Due to the popularity of the East End Boys Club, the board decided to expand into other communities in Louisville and Southern Indiana. BGCK chartered the Ed Endres Boys & Girls Club in New Albany, IN in 1987; the Shawnee Boys & Girls Club in Louisville, KY in 1999; and the Jeffersonville Boys & Girls Club in Jeffersonville, IN in 2000. After the Salvation Army Boys & Girls Clubs closed in October 2011, BGCK embarked on an expansion initiative and opened the Newburg Boys & Girls Club in Louisville, KY in December 2011 and the Parkland Boys & Girls Club in Louisville, KY in September 2012. The California Boys & Girls Club opened in January 2023.

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Currently BGCK is operating in 4 Clubs in the Kentuckiana region: California, Newburg, Parkland, and Shawnee. Through these four Clubs, BGCK will serve over 3,000 youth ages 6-18 each year.