Boys & Girls Clubs Across the Emerald Coast Join Forces

Boys & Girls Clubs of Escambia County and Boys & Girls Clubs of the Emerald Coast (BGCEC) have legally united this week in order to form a larger, better Boys & Girls Clubs of the Emerald Coast.

BGCEC, which originally encompassed the Clubs in Okaloosa and Walton Counties, have been discussing a merger with Boys & Girls Clubs of Escambia County for the past year. The goal was and continues to be to help more children and to support the Emerald Coast community more effectively.

“Boys & Girls Clubs of the Emerald Coast are excited to welcome the Boys and Girls Clubs of Escambia County and looking forward to continuing our positive efforts of helping kids and improving our communities with a stronger, more committed team than ever,” said Crawford “Bear” Henley, President and Chief Professional Officer of the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Emerald Coast.

As a result of this union, Boys & Girls Clubs of Escambia County will become Boys & Girls Clubs of the Emerald Coast, Escambia Club. The Escambia Board of Directors will become a Unit Board for that area, and two members of the Unit Board will join the BGCEC Board of Directors. The fundraising efforts throughout the year will become larger and more successful, which will allow the BGCEC to serve more children productively. In general, there will be a larger team of caring employees, volunteers and families to care for more Club members in more Club facilities.

“The Board and staff are thrilled with the opportunity for greater exposure and growth in Escambia County and for all of the talents the union will bring to the table,” said Kelly Gontarski, President of the Escambia County Unit Board.

Boys & Girls Clubs of the Emerald Coast has been serving the local area for more than 40 years. BGCEC has five Clubs and several sites in three counties. In 2009, BGCEC served more than 1,600 children. The mission of the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Emerald Coast is to inspire and empower all young people and their families, in partnership with our community, to achieve their potential to BE GREAT.