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| Boys & Girls Clubs of Oakland |
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The first boys club in Oakland was founded in June of 1937 and was known as the West Oakland Boys Recreation Center. The headquarters was established in the basement of Cole School at Fifth and Grove Streets.
 In December, 1938, the club was incorporated under the title of Oakland Boys Club. (The charter for the West Oakland Boys Recreation Center was issued in 1937 to Oakland Boys Club.) Supervision of activities was under the federal government's Work Projects Administration. The Juvenile Welfare Committee of the Junior Chamber of Commerce sponsored the project until September of 1939, when the club was forced to close its doors due to lack of funds.
In April of the same year, 1939, the "20-30 Club" of East Oakland rented the old telephone building at Eighty-fifth and East Fourteenth Streets for $25 per month and became the sponsor of an organization known as the East Oakland Boys Club, with Benjamin F. Morris as President. Rex Ballard was appointed supervising director in charge of activities and the club was officially opened on May 1, 1939. From Mr. Ballard's reports to the Board of Directors, we note that:
* 206 boys joined the club during the first month of operation.
* The estimated replacement value of the club's property and equipment on opening day was approximately $2,500.
* A $25 gift was received and spent for one pair of boxing gloves, two head gears, one punching bag, one pair of punching bag gloves, one gear bag, twelve darts, three dozen Ping-Pong balls and six baseballs.
* By December, 1940, the average attendance at the club was 46 boys per day.
In September of 1939, a nonprofit corporation was formed, to be known as the Filbert Street Boys Club, Inc., located at Twenty-sixth and Filbert Streets in West Oakland, and housed in the girls' gymnasium at the old McClymonds High School. The governing board was selected from the Oakland Public Schools Department, the Police Department, the Recreation Department, and the Alameda County Juvenile Probation Office. Chester A. Fowler was elected President.
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