Boys & Girls Club of Worcester

The Boys & Girls Club of Worcester provides a safe place for children and youth to learn and explore. Last year 97% of our high school seniors were accepted into college!

Since 1889, the Boys & Girls Club of Worcester has been a leader in providing youth development opportunities for the city’s most disadvantaged children and teens. The Club is one of the original fifteen Boys Clubs and a founding member of the national organization, Boys & Girls Clubs of America. In addition to our youth development program that provides programs and services to youth ages 8 - 18, we also have a pre-school and School Age Child Care program.

In 2006, after a successful $9.5 million capital campaign, the Boys & Girls Club moved from the aging Ionic Ave. building to a beautiful state-of-the art facility in the Main South section of the city. The new building is a testament to a community that embraces the Boys & Girls Club mission: “to help youth, especially those who need us most, develop the qualities needed to become responsible citizens and community leaders, through caring professional staff who forge relationships with our youth members and influence their ability to succeed in life.” Without the leadership and support from alumni, local businesses and foundations, Clark University, the Main South CDC and the city, the dream of a new building would have just remained that – a dream. The Francis A. and Jacquelyn H. Harrington Clubhouse is now a centerpiece of the Gardner-Kilby-Hammond project, a $35 million redevelopment plan to revitalize the neighborhood with new homes and athletic fields.

The Francis A. and Jacquelyn H. Harrington Clubhouse's 44,700 sq. ft. building incorporates multiple program areas including a learning center, technology lab, six-lane swimming pool, full-size gymnasium, games room, an arts suite, café, and preschool and school-age child care rooms. Thanks to the new facility, membership has more than doubled; it has grown from 1,350 youth in 2000 to over 4,000 members today. Average daily attendance has also increased from 175 to over 400.

In addition to the Francis A. and Jacquelyn H. Harrington Clubhouse, the Boys & Girls Club of Worcester also provides programs and services at sites located in Great Brook Valley and Plumley Village. “The Club’s investment in Plumley Village and Great Brook Valley emphasizes its commitment and dedication to serving all of our city’s disadvantaged youth,” says Ron Hadorn, Executive Director.

The Boys & Girls Club of Worcester has a successful 122-year record of providing a safe place for disadvantaged kids to learn and explore. Worcester is full of “movers and shakers” who learned at the Boys & Girls Club how to be productive members of their communities. Just ask Congressman Jim McGovern, Chief of Police Gary Gemme, or world champion boxer Jose Rivera how the Club helped them realize their potential!