Boys & Girls Clubs of Oakland

Calvester R. Stanley, President
July, 2004 marked a significant milestone for Boys & Girls Clubs of Oakland – for the first time since 1950, we unveiled a brand new Clubhouse, the Anna Marie Whalen Branch in Central East Oakland. The 23,000 square foot facility is our largest Clubhouse and features a Library and Learning Center, state-of-the-art Technology Center, Arts & Crafts Center, fully-equipped Culinary Arts Kitchen, Recreation Room, Teen Center and Study, Music Rooms, and the spectacular Simpson Family Gymnasium and Performing Arts Center.

With the support of our valued donors, corporate sponsors, and community partners, we are more than halfway to our youth membership goal of 5,000 girls and boys, which represents 10% of our school district's enrollment. At year-end 2004, our organization-wide enrollment stood at 2,591 members, most of whom participate daily. Now with three full-size, full-service Clubhouses – our Ossian E. Carr facility in East Oakland was rebuilt and rededicated in 1999, and our Leonard J. Meltzer Branch in West Oakland received a significant facelift in Fall, 2004 – we are positioned to fulfill our youth development mission more effectively and in the quantities we project.

Youth Development has been defined as the ongoing growth process in which all youth are engaged in attempting to meet their basic personal and social needs to be safe, feel cared for, be valued, be useful, and be spiritually grounded, and build skills and competencies that allow them to function and contribute in their daily lives. That's what we do.

Our thanks and appreciation are extended to our many benefactors for their continued interest and involvement in our mission to develop our community's youth into positive contributors to society. Boys & Girls Clubs of Oakland, The Positive Place for Kids in our community for over 64 years.