Who We Are Clubhouses Our Programs Ways to Give Events News & Updates Donate MISSION, VISION, & HISTORY Our Mission "To enrich and enhance the quality of life for young people by providing educational and developmental programs, with special emphasis on youngsters between the ages 6-18 who come from disadvantaged or disenfranchised circumstances." Our Vision We exist to assist young people in realizing and achieving their potential for growth and development utilizing our state-of-the-art facilities, trained and motivated staff, and nationally renowned programs to produce positive contributors to society. Our History The Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club is now over 105 years old. We were born a century earlier on February 8, 1915, when the Kips Bay Neighborhood Association met to discuss the problem of roving gangs of boys disturbing the neighborhood. The Association resolved to create a Boys Club to address the problem and help the boys in the neighborhood. In the first year, a few volunteers took regular turns mentoring 105 boys while organizing recreational activities for them, such as boxing matches and games. Milestones in the Club’s history since moving to the Bronx include: Expanding the flagship headquarters, now the Lucile Palmaro Clubhouse, in 1976 and 1984 to accommodate growing membership and to add a swimming pool and an auditorium, and again in the 1990s to add many of the large and varied athletic facilities that are there today In partnership with HELP (Housing Enterprise for the Less Privileged), initiating on-site Boys & Girls Club services at two homeless shelters in 1998, the first Club in the national Boys & Girls Club movement to do so Completing the Frederic R. Coudert Sports Complex in 2002, which features the only ice rink in the Bronx Acquiring two new service venues in 2005 in New York City Housing Authority Community Centers - Castle Hill Houses and Throggs Neck Houses Acquiring a renewable lease to Camp Sebago in 2006, which brings the time-honored benefits of rustic camping to hundreds of urban youngsters every year The Club added its 10th service venue in June 2010, when the Frederic R. & Margaret Coudert Clubhouse opened in the West Bronx Heights, a location terribly underserved by social services for children. Now, the Clubhouse is on pace to enroll 2,000 members annually by 2018. This Clubhouse is the first Boys & Girls Club to serve the area, which recorded an unemployment rate of more than 13% in 2012, the highest in the New York City metropolitan area. The state-of-the-art 28,000 square foot facility provides the latest in technology and included a gym, a performance space, a dedicated floor for our youngest group of members who are 6-to-9 years old, a games room, and an education floor with a computer lab. 1969 The Club moves from mid-Manhattan to present Clubhouse sit in the Southeast Bronx, an area of dire need. 1976 A much needed swimming pool and two classrooms are added to facilities to help accommodate a membership of 2,000 boys. 1984 A second major facilities expansion occurs with additions including a 9,000 square foot auditorium and outdoor recreation area to accommodate serving girls. 1988 The board changes the Club's name to Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club reflecting what has already been a reality. 1994 Through outreach 91-94, satellite clubs are established at 3 public schools, as well as participation of handicap children. 1996 Daniel Quintero is selected as Executive Director after a national search. A Bronx native, he is the first Kips Bay alumnus to lead the organization. 1997 The club completes a comprehensive 2-year renovation program. Results include a new dance studio & outdoor basketball courts. 1998 In partnership with HELP (Housing Enterprise for the Less Privileged), the Club initiates two HELP shelters for the homeless in the South Bronx. 2002 Between 2001-02, a new Sports Complex is built and includes The Bronx's only Ice Skating Rink. 2005 New direct service sites established at New York City Housing Authority Community Centers at Castle Hill Houses & Throggs Neck Houses. 2006 Long-term lease secured for Camp Sebago in Harriman State Park. Day Camp initiated in the Summer of 2006. 2007 Residential camping initiated at Camp Sebago. Need and Population served by Kips Bay addresses many critical needs. 2009 Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club opens its 10th service location. Coudert Clubhouse is a 30,000 square foot facility in the West Bronx. 2012 Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club is serving more than 10,000 children. 2015 Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club celebrates 100 years of serving children! 2017 Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club partners with Major League Baseball to open a Digital Arts Center, complete with a recording studio. 2019 Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club celebrates 50 years in the Bronx! 2020 Amidst COVID-19 pandemic Kips Bay pivots, offering online program delivery & hybrid-learning programs during school hours. SOCIAL MEDIA SUPPORT US Donate Sponsor-a-Child STAY UP TO DATE ON "THE BAY" Name Email Name Email Submit © 2021 The Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club Boys & Girls Club of America Privacy Policy Contact Us Audit Report Form 990