The Selma unit of the Boys & Girls Clubs prepare to take students on a field trip. The Boys & Girls Club of Fresno County is proud to celebrate 75 years in operation, and the countless interactions with students that make a positive impact in their lives, their parents, and the community. Photo contributed

For many K-12 students in Fresno, after-school activities are readily available — everything from music rehearsals and sports practices to study sessions. And for the fortunate ones, a parent and a safe home to return to at the end of the day.

But for many, those safe spaces can be far and few between; with the rising cost of everything from childcare to food and extracurricular activities, parents are forced to work longer hours, leaving students without supervision after school.

That’s where the Boys & Girls Clubs of Fresno County has stepped in. For the last 75 years, the organization has provided a safe place for fun, interactive after-school activities for countless children over generations — and hope to continue their work for generations to come.

 

From small beginnings

Over the decades, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Fresno County has grown from its humble beginnings to include a network of 14 facilities throughout Fresno County serving more than 3,000 children annually. That number grows as programs and opportunities expand.

The first club opened in West Fresno, in a small facility just down the street from its current location at 930 Tulare St. Although it was renovated in 2006, the original building still stands.

“We opened our first club in 1949,” said Diane Carbray, president of Boys & Girls Clubs of Fresno County. “It was a little place down the street from our club at West Fresno.”

The organization now operates five major clubs, and seven smaller regional clubs located in rural areas, providing a range of services including mentoring, tutoring and after-school homework assistance.

In addition to its recreational offerings, the clubs have tutoring opportunities and safety — a growing priority in recent years.

Like many organizations, the pandemic left a lasting scar.

“At one point, we had over 8,000 kids,” Carbray said. “COVID-19 dropped our numbers down to 2,500. Now we’re back over 3,000.”

Despite these challenges, the clubs are seeing attendance rise again, thanks in part to word-of-mouth from children and parents as well as the implementation of new programs, entertainment and educational offerings and, of course, the added element of digital advertising and social media visibility.

 

Continued growth and evolution

A key area of growth for the organization has been its expansion into rural areas of Fresno County. In the 1990s, the clubs partnered with the Fresno Housing Authority, spreading into public housing complexes, with facilities opening in Parlier, Reedley, Sanger, Firebaugh, Orange Cove, Huron and Del Rey.

The expansion was based on a range of studies, specifically one that found that placing Boys & Girls Clubs in housing complexes had a significant impact on fostering a safe environment.

“There was a study done by Columbia University, and what they showed was, when there was a Boys & Girls Club placed in a housing complex, the graffiti went away, the domestic violence decreased…kids are the word of mouth, and they know what’s going on in the neighborhoods because they all tell each other,” Carbray explained.

With a formula for expansion, Carbray said the biggest challenge is securing the funding necessary to staff new clubs, a large amount of which is sourced from donations throughout the year.

“It’s one thing to get a building, but it’s another thing to pay for the year-long staffing,” she said.

Carbray said the cost to operate a new club, excluding the cost of the building, is approximately $120,000 per year.

 

Evolving with the times

Despite other programs working toward the same goals, Boys & Girls Clubs from around the country help fill a much-needed role in after-school programs that prevent kids from getting into trouble, specifically later in the evening.

To that end, Carbray said that the Boys & Girls Clubs fill a niche that other after-school programs do not.

“I think that we are the unique facility that kids want to go to because they don’t want to stay after school — we fill a niche,” she said. “We’ll stay open until 7:30 or 8 [p.m.], but the school programs are over; especially for teens, they’re always looking for a place to go.”

In her 19 years as president, Carbray has seen significant changes, particularly in the area of technology and safety.

“A lot of technology has changed,” she said. “We all are getting assessed — each of the clubs — to comply with safety so that we are not one of those nonprofits that make the headlines.”

Throughout the years, specifically following the integration and expansion of technology, the organization has implemented numerous safety measures, including bathroom procedures, transportation protocols and policies to eliminate one-on-one interactions between staff and children.

While technology has brought new challenges, particularly around cybersecurity and online safety, it has also brought many benefits to the clubs. Interactive educational programs, STEM activities and social media have all enhanced the clubs’ offerings.

Social media, in particular, has helped raise awareness among parents and donors.

“The biggest help with social media is the publication of our events and kids and what they’re doing,” Carbray said. “Pictures of happy kids in the clubs and the activities — whether it’s a STEM activity or arts and crafts or they’re reading books — that’s really helped spread the word to parents and donors about the huge positive impact the Boys & Girls Clubs has.”

 

How to get involved

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Fresno County hosted an event on Oct. 10 to launch its annual Christmas donation appeal. Carbray encourages donors to consider monetary contributions but added that physical donations such as toys, books, and games are also welcome.

“We get boxes sometimes of new games, and people are fighting over them,” she said. “It’s great.”

Over the years, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Fresno County has touched the lives of more than 1 million children, a milestone that Carbray and the organization proudly highlight.

“We’ve touched the lives of so many,” she said. “That’s a big impact to the County of Fresno.”

For more information about donations or to learn more about the Boys & Girls Clubs of Fresno County, visit their website at www.bgc.fresno.org.