Great Futures Start Here wall graphic at the Boys & Girls Club of Irvine

At the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Orange Coast, our core value is to pursue greatness in everything we do for the kids, families, and communities we serve. We certainly lived up to that in 2019 – and with 2020 in full swing, we’re excited to build on our most recent successes.

Here’s a look at some of our highlights from last year:

  • The Pursuing Greatness Campaign created a $7.1 million investment into the five cities we serve, supporting extensive renovations and expansion of service at our Clubs in Costa Mesa, Irvine, Newport Beach, and Santa Ana.
  • We served 9,500 youth across our five cites, at our Clubs and 62 school-based partner sites.
  • Ana Gonzalez, 18, member of our Boys & Girls Club of Santa Ana and our Clubs’ Youth of the Year, was selected as the Orange County Youth of the Year – receiving $11,000 in scholarships for higher education. The honor recognizes an individual between the ages of 14-18 who demonstrates academic achievement, leadership skills, and service to the community.
  • Our College Bound program graduated our largest class yet – and secured more than $2.5 million in scholarships and financial assistance for 2019 graduates.

Of course, we couldn’t have done this without our dedicated staff and the generous partners who have chosen to invest in our pursuit of greatness, and we thank them for believing in the potential of every child we serve. Learn about these activities and more in our latest Annual Report.

In 2020 – we’re already starting strong!

This year, our mantra is: ‘Whatever it Takes.’ We will ensure every child has access to similar opportunities – and we will continue to invest our resources in the areas of greatest need where we can deliver the biggest impact.

Focus areas include:

  • Enhancing the Club Learning Experience: Monthly themes and new activities to explore and discover will round-out a comprehensive curriculum for each member at every one of our sites.
  • New Teen Centers: Enrollment is now open for our Costa Mesa, Irvine, and Santa Ana teen centers, where our Teen Empowerment strategy equips high-school aged members with the mentoring, skills, and resources that help them successfully transition to adulthood. Our focus is to expose members to a variety of programs and opportunities that they may not get anywhere else.
  • Whatever it Takes: 2020 will continue to bring Club members innovative programs and experiences that ignite interests, make a positive impact, foster curiosity, facilitate discovery, introduce enrichment and STEAM opportunities, encourage health and fitness, and help our youth pursue greatness all while having fun.

We believe every child and teen we serve has the potential to do great things, and it is our privilege to invest in opportunities to help them unlock that potential. Stay tuned for our successes throughout the year!