History
Boys and Girls Clubs of Calgary 1939-2009
Boys and Girls Clubs of Calgary has a long and vibrant history starting in 1939 with Boys Town, followed by Girls Town in 1944. In 1949 Boys Town, which was used synonymously with Rotary Boys Town, changed its name to Calgary Boys' Club which continued through the 1950's. The name changed again in the early 60's to reflect the growth of new clubs within the city to Boys' Clubs of Calgary, and then again in 1975 when the Calgary Club was the first Boys Club in Canada to officially welcome girls as members.
We will be presenting snapshots of our history on the page/site over the year. Coming soon... history from the 80's, 90's and '00's.
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Donna (Reynolds) Tone Collection - Boys and Girls Clubs of Calgary Archives |
1940's - Boys Town and Girls Town
With the onset of World War II, fathers were in short supply in Canada, and the rise of juvenile delinquency was a concern in all major cities in the country. In Calgary a number of civic leaders and service organizations were concerned with the "rambucous" actions of boys who were largely unsupervised during after school hours. The consensus was that providing a place for boys to engage in purposeful recreational activities with adult guidance would control the trend towards juvenile delinquency. In 1939, with the support of a number of service clubs, the Rotary Club took the lead in establishing Boys Town in the basement of the Carleton Hotel on 9 Ave.
In 1944, under the leadership of Donna Reynolds, a social worker with the City of Calgary's Children's Aid Society, a Girls Town program was started. Donna worked with a large group of volunteers who organized a girl-governed program based on a town governance model, with a wide array of recreational and personal growth programs. Boys and Girls Town leaders shared resources whenever possible, with the girls eventually gaining exclusive access to the Boys Town facilities on Tuesday nights. Dances were the highlight of co-ed special events.
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1950's - Calgary Boys' Club
By 1943 Boys Town had outgrown the space in the basement of the Carleton Hotel and the Rotarians purchased the Old Ukrainian Hall on 7th Ave E for their operation. In 1949 they officially turned over the building, assets, and operation of the Rotary Boys Town Club to the newly incorporated Calgary Boys' Club.
Newspaper headlines from 1953 read "Boys' Club Chalks Up Record Activity in '53." Boys' Club boasted a membership of 296 boys, who won over 18 city and provincial sports championships. A record number of members passed swimming exams at the local YMCA which donated space for lessons, and the club enjoyed increased support from parents and the community as a whole. Calgary Boys' Club thrived through the 50's and by 1958 offered an impressive list of opportunities to any boy who wanted to join: calisthenics, gymnastics, hockey, basketball, wrestling, volleyball, weightlifting, swimming, badminton, public speaking, homework classes, library access, woodworking, leatherwork, copper-work, model airplane construction, ceramics, camping, dance, and gift craft.
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Dance at Renfrew Club - Photo courtesy Bruce McLeod - Boys and Girls Clubs of Calgary Archives |
1960's - Boys Clubs of Calgary
By the 1960's the city was expanding in all directions and the Calgary Boys' Club had changed its name to Boys Clubs of Calgary to reflect the growth of additional clubs in the emerging communities of Renfrew (1964), Montgomery (1966), Forest Lawn (1967) and Millican-Ogden (1968). In 1969 an outreach program, (Detached Work) was initiated. The Langevin Club (the former Ukrainian Hall and Rotary Boys Town Club) served as the administration center as well as the center for Outdoor Services.
In 1959 Camp Adventure opened its permanent site in Bow Crow Provincial Park. Prior to this, Boys Clubs camp were held on various sites west of the city, utilizing land lent by business leaders, or the Department of Lands and Forests.
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Donna (Reynolds) Tone Collection - Boys and Girls Clubs of Calgary Archives |
1970's -Boys and Girls Clubs of Calgary
During the 1970's the agency saw phenomenal growth due to strong leadership at the Board of Directors and management levels. Increased community and city involvement on the board with representation from multiple organizations who were concerned with youth issues such as the City Police, School Boards, Health and Social Services departments as
well as service clubs, resulted in the exploration of 20 new strategies
for youth programming. Initiatives such as community engagement
(Outreach), wilderness programs (Enviros), group living projects
(Bowness and Forest Heights Group Homes), preschool programming,
(Renfrew Preschool Program), services for high school drop-outs
(Gateways), family and mentoring initiatives (PACT and One+One),
employment programs (Stampede Clean Up), and recreation for youth on
probation (Encounter) were investigated.
At the club level new programs were started in Renfrew (Renfrew Girls Club), Dover, Victoria Park, Fairview, Greenview, Penbrooke Meadows, and Thorncliffe, as well as interim programs in the communities of Crossroads, Vista and Mayland Heights, Cochrane, High River, Banff and at the Indian Friendship Centre. Over half of the initiatives from the 70's still operate in 2009, with the remainder having a lifespan of between 15 and 20 years.
Boys Clubs of Calgary moved its administrative offices from the Langevin Center to the Renfrew Club in 1974, and changed its name to Boys and Girls Clubs of Calgary in 1975.
History from the 80's, 90's and 00's will be added in the fall of 2009.