Founded in 1990, the boys & girls club of brockton has been serving the youth of the greater brockton region for more than a quarter century through our mission to nurture strong minds, healthy bodies…

Founded in 1990, the boys & girls club of brockton has been serving the youth of the greater brockton region for more than a quarter century through our mission to nurture strong minds, healthy bodies and community spirit through youth-driven, quality programming in a safe and fun environment. Our vista project aligns with the education focus area. Our vista project seeks to continue increasing our organization's capacity to serve at-risk youth by supporting our resource development activities and expects to benefit the nearly 2,000 youth we serve each year. Our 2 standard vista members will contribute to the goals of the project by performing activities such as grant writing, event planning, donor cultivation, and the resource leveraging and community collaboration functions of the development office over the course of one year. Founded 115 years ago, the boys & girls club of taunton is one of the oldest boys & girls clubs in the country. The taunton club's mission is to give youth in the greater taunton region - no matter what neighborhood they're from or school they attend - a sense of hope, belonging and purpose, as well as the skills they need to overcome life's challenges and give back to their community. For more than a century the boys & girls club of taunton has been an unparalleled resource for youth in our community, with programs evolving to meet the challenges posed by an ever-changing world whilst remaining true to our mission. Annually, our club serves more than 500 youth ages 6-18 through a combination of after-school, weekend, and summer programs aimed at helping young people achieve great futures. For several years the taunton club has struggled mightily to raise the revenue needed to cover the expenses of operating its programs. Though the club has been successful in implementing fee-based programming (summer camp, aquatics, etc.) to supplement the minimal revenue generated from memberships, IT currently lacks diversity in its fundraising efforts, with little to no existing grant support from foundations, lackluster board engagement, limited community partnership, and barebones donor stewardship. In an effort to help the boys & girls club of taunton usher in a new ERA of success and improved programming, the boys & girls club of brockton began providing consult in july 2017 through a formal management agreement in hopes of reversing the trend of deficit that has strained the taunton club as of late. The two clubs have working hand-in-hand ever since to increase funding to the taunton club and share resources (like taunton's 45-acre summer camp) to ensure that the youth in both communities will continue to be able to rely upon their local boys & girls club as an unparalleled resource aiding their academic success and social development. We are thrilled to share that in december 2018 the boards of directors of the brockton and taunton club each votes unanimously to merge our two organizations effective july, 1 2019 at the start of our 2020 fiscal year. With a shared mission to nurture strong minds, healthy bodies, and community spirit through youth-driven, quality programs in safe and fun environments, these two storied clubs and communities are coming together to provide our members with more and even better programs. Through the sharing of best practices, partnerships, and resources, comes expanded opportunities to broaden the scope and reach of our core after-school, weekend, and summer camp programs. As we venture forward together with our new vision our highest priority is to ensure the greatest possible impact for our club members. The merger has been and will continue to be significant for both affected communities. For taunton, merger with brockton provides long-term stability through access to experienced senior staff and board leadership, proven programs, and a bevy of strong community partnerships throughout the region to support both fundraising and program quality. For brockton, me