Boys & Girls Club of Monrovia

THE MISSION of Boys & Girls Club of the Foothills (BGCF) is to enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, and responsible citizens. BGCF provides personal, life-changing experiences to vulnerable young people, empowering them with the tools to become educated, healthy, self-reliant, and contributing members of our society.

All BGCF programs are based on a youth development strategy that builds self-confidence and self-esteem while fostering a sense of belonging, competence, usefulness, and influence. The Club is dedicated to ensuring that all children have access to quality programs and services at an affordable cost. Our approach is intentional, with a strong educational and mentoring focus, to empower youth who may have never envisioned a future with the ability to earn a high school diploma, a college degree, and a successful career.

BGCF offers our members a broad range of programs in five core areas: Character and Leadership Development - to empower youth to support and influence their Club and community, sustain meaningful relationships with others, develop a positive self-image, participate in the democratic process, and respect different cultural identities; Education and Career Development - to promote educational enrichment and school engagement, and encourage participants to graduate from high school on time and prepare themselves for post-secondary education and a successful career; Health and Life Skills - to develop young people's capacity to engage in positive behaviors that nurture their own well-being, set personal goals and live successfully as self-sufficient adults. Sports, Fitness and Recreation - to develop fitness, positive use of leisure time, reduction of stress, appreciation for the environment and social and interpersonal skills; and The Arts - to cultivate creativity and cultural awareness through exposure to and instruction in the written, visual, and performing arts.

Boys Girls Club of the Foothills (BGCF) was established in response to high levels of delinquency, juvenile crime, and drug use among youth in the densely populated, multi-ethnic areas of Monrovia and Duarte in Los Angeles County. We opened our first facility in 1994 at Recreation Park in the City of Monrovia, serving 25-50 youth each day. The Club grew significantly in the first five years. In 2000, we acquired a 30-passenger bus to provide transportation from five elementary and two middle schools in the area. To further meet the demand for our services, we opened a second site in 2005 at Mayflower Elementary School in Monrovia Unified School District. For the first several years of operation, BGCF served as a recreational facility where low-income parents, typically working two jobs or very long hours, could take their children for after-school care. It was clear there was a need to keep youth off the streets and out of harm's way, and the club was meeting that need.

In 2010, however, after a series of gang-related shootings in the area, our Board of Directors realized that we were not doing enough. Our youth needed more than just a place to hang out. They needed academic support, positive adult role models, self-esteem, coping skills, and above all, hope. We shifted our purpose from recreational to intentional, implementing model programs with a strong educational and mentoring focus, to empower youth who may have never envisioned a future to make positive choices and believe in their ability to succeed. Our membership grew rapidly, and in the fall of 2015, we opened a third site specifically for teens. This has provided a dedicated space for our elementary-age members to grow into, so we do not lose them at the middle school and high school levels, which are often the most critical stages in a child's life. BGCF serves 350-400 Monrovia and Duarte youth daily, and more than 1,000 annually.

BGCF operates after-school programs for youth ages 5-18, Monday through Friday, from 1:00 to 6:30 pm. During spring, summer, and holiday breaks, we operate from 7:30 am to 6:30 pm. Members pay an accessible fee of $15 per year (financial assistance is available if needed and no one is turned away due to inability to pay), which entitles them to participate in a wide range of year-round services.

We opened our first facility, serving 25 to 50 members each day. We now serve more than 350 youth each day and 1,000 members annually. We have received recognition from Boys & Girls Clubs of America for our steady and managed growth in attendance. Unlike many other after-school programs, we are not a drop-in center. Our approach is intentional and consistency is a priority. More than 86% of our members attend more than 100 days a year, which has been proven to significantly improve outcomes and the overall Club experience.

OUR IMPACT:

Academic Success: 20% of young people in California fail to graduate from high school on time. Among our teenage club members, 98% expect to graduate from high school and 90% expect to complete some sort of post-secondary education.

Good Character & Citizenship: 22% of high school youth in LA County were involved in a physical fight in the past year. 93% of Club teen members volunteer in their community at least once per year, while 76% volunteer in their community at least once per month.

Healthy Lifestyles: 42% of young people ages 10-15 in the Monrovia/Duarte area are overweight or obese. 86% of club members ages 9 and over report getting at least an hour of physical activity on 5 or more days per week.


There has been rapid growth in our membership numbers within the last 10 years; limited space is now a major issue of concern. Further expansion is part of BGCF’s long-term vision, as there are many more youth in need of our services, in hard-to-reach neighborhoods that are unable to access our services. Using our Mayflower site model, we wish to establish additional school-based partnerships that will enable to access these youth. Beyond our immediate service boundaries, in Glendora, El Monte, Azusa, and other cities along with 210 corridor, we envision further expansion over time through grassroots community-building efforts will facilitate the establishment of additional sites serving these cities, under a Boys & Girls Club of the Foothills umbrella.