According to the Boys & Girls Web page (www.bgca.org), “In every community, boys and girls are left to find their own recreation and companionship in the streets. An increasing number of children are at home with no adult care or supervision. Young people need to know that someone cares about them.

“Boys & Girls Clubs offer that and more. Club programs and services promote and enhance the development of boys and girls by instilling a sense of competence, usefulness, belonging and influence.

“Boys & Girls Clubs are a safe place to learn and grow — all while having fun. They are truly The Positive Place For Kids.” “Federated Boys Clubs” began in Boston in 1906, uniting 53 organizations (some balked at first, when a $5 annual dues fee was asked) and becoming the first national association of its kind. Understaffed, with one part-time stenographer, the organization ended its first fiscal year with a deficit of $157 its first year.

Times have changed. In 1929, the federation underwent a name change, to “Boys’ Club Federation of America,” and then axed “Federation” from its moniker in 1931. There were 258 clubs by then, with more than a quarter-million members.

Boys’ Clubs supported the war effort in the 1940s with “Victory Gardens” and the promotion of war bonds. In 1943, thanks to $1,155.45 raised from spare change, the club in Fort Wayne, Ind., and donated toward the purchase of a Jeep.

The “kids” were involved more than that in the war: More than 100,000 former Boys Club members had entered the armed forces, and 715 of them were killed in action.

After WWII, Herbert Hoover, irked by turmoil in the nation’s streets, issued a “1,000 clubs, 1 million boys” challenge. In 1972, that challenge was met and Indianapolis opened the 1,000th club.

The next big change came on Sept. 12, 1990, when Boys & Girls Clubs of America. BCA president Jeremiah Milbank had said two years before that, that “Girls are not immune to the problems of crime, drugs and alcohol abuse just because they are girls.” Within two years, “Girls Clubs of America” united with the boys.

Among the club alumni nationwide are such luminaries are Bill Cosby, Michael Jordan, Brad Pitt, Chamique Holdsclaw, Mary Steenburgen, Bill Clinton, Martin Sheen, Derek Jeter, Neil Diamond and Denzel Washington.