Twenty years ago, our community came together to create the Miracle on Boys & Girls Club Way, a state-of-the-art clubhouse built for Worcester’s youth. Since opening the Harrington Clubhouse in 2006, the Boys & Girls Club of Worcester has served thousands of children by providing a safe, welcoming place to learn, grow, and thrive.
As we celebrate this milestone, we invite you to help shape the next chapter. A named gift—supporting spaces like our gymnasium, teen and workforce development center, arts suite, or fitness center—allows you to leave a lasting legacy and invest in Worcester’s youth for the next 20 years and beyond.
Named Gift Opportunities
Gymnasium- $1.5 million
Gift Impact: The centerpiece of our Healthy Habits core area, the gym, sees 400+ kids per day. With sports, dance, and games, the gym is where we keep our kids healthy.
The gym has hardwood floors, bleachers, and 6 basketball hoops. To combat the 17% youth obesity rate, our kids are active at least 60 minutes per day. Kids of all ages participate in our basketball leagues, athletic teams and other activities for the $25/year membership fee. Dance recitals, fashion shows and craft fairs are also held in the gym; a named gift would feature prominently in one of our most visible areas.
Kid’s Café- $750,000
Gift Impact: Our free meal program combats hunger. In Worcester, 1 in 4 kids goes to bed hungry – with 80% of them in poverty, the statistic for Club kids would be far higher. We serve dinner to 300 kids every weekday on average, with free lunch and snacks all summer.
Our kids live in barren foodscapes, with little access to fresh food. Eating healthy is expensive, and our Club families often rely on cheap-but-filling fast food. Kids Café feeds kids and introduces them to table manners, hygiene, and nutrition education. We employ several Club teens, and provide them with free ServSafe certification, a valuable resume-boost. Music lessons, dance team practice, staff meetings, and many other activities take place in Kids Café. A major gift to Kids Café would be highly visible, as well as having lasting impact on our kids’ health and future prospects.
Arts Suite- $500,000
Gift Impact: All kids need opportunities to express themselves positively, and arts programs are out of the financial reach for most of our Club youth. Nearly two-thirds of our members participate in at least one arts program every year.
Public schools are cutting arts programs. Our music lessons, drama club, dance team and digital arts courses are very popular: A major gift would guarantee that our kids always have a place to use their creativity.
Teen / Workforce Center- $400,000
Our Teen and Workforce Center is a vital component of the Club, providing teen members with a dedicated space to study, unwind, and plan for their futures. Here, teens can complete homework, relax with peers, apply to college, and engage in a wide range of enrichment activities in an environment designed specifically for their age group.
To better meet growing demand, we more than doubled our footprint to create a separate workforce development space that supports programs such as Driver’s Education, career nights featuring professionals from diverse fields, résumé-writing workshops, college exploration, and job certification courses.
After completing our 12-week workforce development curriculum (open to members ages 14 and older) many teens secure employment either at the Club, where we hire approximately 100 teens each year, or with partner organizations. For many participants, this is their first job and the first foundational entry on their résumé.
We recognize that many teens are responsible for paying their own membership fees. To ensure access and remove financial barriers, a teen membership is just $10 per year, reflecting our commitment to making opportunity available to every teen in Worcester.
Mental Health Office- $350,000
Gift Impact: Youth today are facing unprecedented levels of stress, yet access to appropriate mental-health support remains limited. Pediatric psychologist waitlists now stretch more than a year.
To bridge this gap, our Case Management Department provides vital, immediate support to our youth and their families. Services range from social-emotional skill-building, mentorships, and gender-specific programming to food and clothing assistance and wraparound support during the holiday season.
This critical work is led by our Director of Individual and Family Support, a licensed social worker with a master’s degree in the field. The department also includes an Assistant Director of Individual and Family Support, a senior case worker, and an outreach coordinator who supports our two outreach sites in Plumley Village and Great Brook Valley. Together, they ensure that every young person who walks through our doors has access to compassionate, comprehensive care.
Food Pantry- $250,000
Gift Impact: Our community food pantry provides assistance to 500 families annually. Our offerings include fresh fruit, canned goods, staple items such as bread, flour, and sugar, and household cleaning supplies.
Our food pantry opened in 2016 in partnership with Fallon Health. What began as a way to ensure our Club kids were provided proper nutrition during non-Club hours, has evolved into a consistent source of support for our community. In addition to dinners in Kid’s Café during the week, our families come to “shop” the food pantry for meals during the weekend.
We partner with local organizations and we receive in-kind donations throughout the year from organizations and individuals, that help stock our shelves—however, a named gift to the food pantry will expand our outreach and help provide the resources necessary to help ensure no kids or families go hungry.
Outdoor Patio- $250,000
Gift Impact: The patio is a gathering place, a viewing area, and a major program space during the warmer months. Club members use it many times a year for cookouts, Club-wide performances and outdoor crafts.
The patio overlooks the Clark University intramural athletic field, which is open to our Club several days per week, and where most of our outdoor activities take place.
Fitness Center- $200,000
Gift Impact: Our fitness center is a welcoming, non-intimidating space where youth of all ages and athletic abilities can explore movement in ways that feel accessible, empowering, and fun. From yoga and treadmill cardio to interactive touch-wall games and boxing, these diverse activities introduce members to multiple pathways to physical wellness while teaching the science of movement and kinetics.
At the heart of the space stands the boxing ring. Our boxing program carries a proud legacy, pioneered by Carlos Garcia, a legendary coach and mentor who dedicated 35 years to the Boys & Girls Club of Worcester. Through boxing, Carlos supported countless youth not only in building physical confidence, but in navigating mental health challenges and life’s most difficult moments. His impact lives on in every child who steps into the ring, learning to channel perseverance, focus, and self-belief.
Recreational Games Room- $200,000
Gift Impact: Often referred to as our “Gateway Room,” this beloved space serves as a welcoming entry point for youth who may be curious about joining the Club. For many kids, the opportunity to play games with friends feels comfortable and familiar, even if they are not yet ready to explore or name the additional support they may need. Once youth engage in the Games Room and officially become members, our staff intentionally introduce them to the full range of programs and resources available at the Club. For this reason, the Games Room is one of the most important spaces in our building. It offers a wide variety of activities, from board games, pool, and foosball to age-appropriate video games, creating an inviting environment where connection, trust, and belonging can begin.
Outdoor Athletic Court and Playground- $100,000
Gift Impact: Our outdoor court and playground have long provided Club kids with their only safe place to play outside as most of them live in neighborhoods where that option is often too dangerous. We strive to provide our members with ample outdoor opportunities, and our athletic court and playground help us do just that.
Designed for basketball, street hockey, and playground games, the fenced-in basketball court has also hosted animal meet-and-greets, hula hoop competitions, and karaoke contests. A named gift would protect one of our most beloved areas for all our kids.
School Age Child Care Library- $50,000
Our EEC-licensed School Aged Child Care (SACC) program is located on the second floor of our Harrington facility and serves youth ages 5–13. The space includes three age-specific classrooms, thoughtfully arranged around a central library that serves as the heart of the wing.
The library offers a diverse selection of books for all SACC age groups, available for children to enjoy during the program or to borrow and take home, encouraging a love of reading both at the Club and beyond. Designed to reflect the spirit of our youth, the library is vibrant, eclectic, and full of energy, creating an inviting space where curiosity and imagination thrive.
Welcome Desk- $25,000
As the first point of contact for everyone who enters our Harrington facility, the Welcome Desk plays a critical role in each child’s experience at the Club. Every youth checks in at this central hub, where they are warmly greeted by program staff who scan their membership cards and ensure a safe, welcoming start to their visit. More than a place to sign in, the Welcome Desk sets the tone for belonging, connection, and security, reinforcing that every child is known, expected, and valued from the moment they walk through our doors.