Boys & Girls Clubs of America had its beginnings in 1860 with several women in Hartford, Conn. Believing that boys who roamed the streets should have a positive alternative, they organized the first Club. A cause was born.

1906, several Boys Clubs decided to affiliate. Fifty three member organizations formed the Federated Boys Clubs in Boston.

In 1931, the Boys Club Federation of America became Boys Clubs of America.

In 1956, Boys Clubs of America celebrated its 50th anniversary and received a U.S. Congressional Charter.

To recognize the fact that girls are a part of our cause, the national organization's name changed to Boys & Girls Clubs of America in 1990. Accordingly, Congress amended and renewed our charter.

1968, the year the Boy's Club of the Playground Area, Inc. was chartered in Okaloosa County. Three years later, local boys walked through the doors of their own building. For the next 13 years, the vision of a handful of local businessmen and women to provide a safe environment for young boys to grow into men thrived. Then, in 1989, the Club found itself struggling to survive.

Five years of shrinking funds, lack of Board involvement and development and poor central management had taken its toll. The Executive Director resigned. The Board President found himself assuming the responsibilities of the organization. The remaining Board members implemented a "last-ditch" strategy to save the Club. Their first step was to hire a long term Boys Club professional to run the day-to-day operations.

This core of dedicated business and professional people committed to revitalizing the Organization. They reincorporated as the Boys and Girls Club of Okaloosa County, Inc., opening their doors to all youth 6 - 17 years of age. They launched a media campaign to expand community awareness and rolled up their sleeves to refurbish the building.

The community responded. The Club's new Executive Director built new alliances with local citizens and businesses. Boys and Girls Clubs of America provided grants and fundraising increased, stabilizing Club finances. The Board expanded and Club membership exploded.

In 1998, the organization was approached with its biggest challenge. A private individual wanted to build a Family Life Center in South Walton County and they wanted the Boys & Girls Clubs to anchor it. He would provide the financial support for construction, but we would have to support it into the future. After many months of considering the available options, the Board voted to take on the challenge. To reflect its new service area and expanded mission, in 2002, the Boys and Girls Club of Okaloosa County, Inc. rechartered itself as the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Emerald Coast, Inc.

The first major project, however, was to complete a project that had waited on the table since 1978...build the GYM on Denton Boulevard! In April of 2003, we formally opened our new Teen Center and Gymnasium!

Today, the Club is financially secure, faces a large demand...and still with a waiting list.

The future of the Boys and Girls Clubs in this region is in the hands of today's Board and Club professionals. The challenge for today's Board of Directors is to not become complacent in exercising their responsibilities. Hundreds of needy Okaloosa and Walton County kids are waiting to get into existing facilities that cannot respond. Communities such as, Crestview, Niceville, Destin, DeFuniak Springs and Freeport are all in need of the leadership we can supply. Gangs, drugs and crime are challenging us for the hearts and souls of our local youth. Can any of us afford to wait for someone else to get involved? The kids of the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Emerald Coast, both today and tomorrow, need you.