The Boys & Girls Clubs of Indianapolis

1893: Boys & Girls Clubs of Indianapolis begins serving Indianapolis youth as the Boys' Club and Employment Association in two rented rooms of a basement.  A group of women are intent on giving little boys a good bath and a safe and happy place away from broken and poor homes.

1898: Attendance is booming, and the group is renamed the Boys' Club Association.  Membership includes 546 members with an annual budget of $1,878.

1944: The Auxiliary, a group of female volunteers, forms and members provide services to the Clubs and the newly established summer camp.  The group also participates in fundraising projects to benefit the Clubs.

1965: Camp Kelly, named after the former director of the Lauter Boys Club, Everett B. Kelly, is acquired and provides teenage boys a chance to escape the city and attend camp.

1971: The Wheeler Club is chartered as the 1,000th Boys & Girls Club in America.  To mark this milestone, President Nixon sent his brother, Edward Nixon, to represent him as a dedicatory speaker.  The President of the United States is traditionally honorary president of Boys & Girls Clubs of America.

1983: Martha H. Stiers is elected as the Association's first woman president.  She also became the first woman to serve as chairman of a Club's area council in 1977-78.

1989: Girls are allowed to attend Indianapolis Boys & Girls Club Camp in Noblesville.

1991: The organization moves toward full service to girls at all units and the name of the organization officially changes to Boys & Girls Clubs of Indianapolis.

1992: A capital campaign raises $4.5 million to rebuild and refurbish Club locations.  The Lilly Club is built in 1996 as a result of the capital campaign.

1993: Boys & Girls Clubs of Indianapolis mark 100 years of service with celebrations throughout local Clubs.

2001: Boys & Girls Clubs of Indianapolis launches a new school-based outreach initiative resulting in the opening of new Clubs.

2005: Three teen centers were renovated with Colts memorabilia, new televisions, couches, computers and Play Stations to increase teen membership.