Olympian Jackie Joyner-Kersee, silver screen star Denzel Washington and President Bill Clinton all took advantage of the programs offered by Boys and Girls Clubs of America when they were young.
Military youth can now do the same.
DoD is expanding its ties with Boys and Girls Clubs of America to offer the same educational, recreational and leadership development programs at military youth centers on base and overseas. A tie between DoD and the national, nonprofit youth organization formed during the Gulf War is becoming a lasting, peacetime bond, according to DoD family policy officials. In 1991, Boys and Girls Clubs of America asked how they could help Reserve and National Guard members' children while their parents were deployed in the Persian Gulf. Free membership included transportation to nearby clubs, access to summer camps and sports leagues, as well as before and after school programs and training programs for military youth center specialists worldwide. Boys and Girls Clubs of America ran a recruiting drive to let reserve component commands know about the free services available.