Club Care – Birthed in Hartford, Boys & Girls nonprofit turns 165

Today Magazine Online
2 days ago
7 min read

Updated: 6 hours ago

• National Boys & Girls Club Marks Hartford Conception In 1860

By Bruce William Deckert

Editor-in-Chief • Today Magazine Online

• Editor's Note

• ESPN fans will likely recall a signature SportsCenter segment titled Did You Know — and here’s a Did You Know moment courtesy of Today Magazine: Did you know that the iconic Boys & Girls Clubs of America started in Hartford?

• Yes, this noteworthy nonprofit was initiated right in Connecticut's capital city and is celebrating a milestone anniversary this year — four local women birthed a vision that has provided after-school care for millions of at-risk youth nationwide •

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THE YEAR 1860 was a momentous time in Connecticut and the United States of America. Abraham Lincoln toured the state in March and was elected president in November. His election led to the secession of South Carolina in December, primarily due to the slavery issue, and ultimately to the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861.

1860 is also the year when the seed of a noteworthy national nonprofit was planted in Connecticut's capital city — indeed, Hartford is the birthplace of the iconic organization now known as the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.

Four women — Hartford residents Alice and Mary Goodwin, Louisa Bushnell and Elizabeth Hamersley — established the Dashaway Club "to get boys off the streets and give them productive activities," according to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Hartford website.

So this year is the 165th anniversary of this vital Connecticut-founded initiative that currently serves about 3.3 million young people at more than 5400 clubs nationwide, per the Boys & Girls Clubs of America website.

The national website offers a clarion call regarding the organization's essential goal, noting that clubs across the country "provide crucial programming for youth during critical after-school hours, a time when students need support the most."

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The nonprofit's compelling declaration continues as follows:

"The after-school hours bridge the gap between the end of the school day and when parents return home from work, a time when youth are at higher risk for engaging in unsupervised and potentially harmful activities. To combat this, Boys & Girls Clubs offer a range of programs that foster academic success, healthy habits and support to enhance a young person’s overall well-being."

Do you notice the direct connection between this cogent 21st-century statement and the rationale for the Dashaway Club founded in Connecticut's capital in 1860? Evidently, the vision of the four above-mentioned Hartford women is transcending time and endures to this day.

The Dashaway Club underwent several name changes before the organization was ultimately rebranded as the Boys & Girls Clubs of America: the Good Will Club, the Federated Boys Club, the Boys Club Federation and then (in 1931) the Boys Club of America.

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The national organization included girls in 1990, and thus the name changed to the current-day nomenclature: Boys & Girls Clubs of America. The club in Connecticut's capital followed suit and rebranded as the Boys & Girls Clubs of Hartford aka BGCH.

"Anytime we hear young people call their club their 'second home' or talk about how much they like to spend time with us after school, it’s heartwarming," says Tomeka Cole, BGCH vice president of development and communications.

The five-town Farmington Valley region has countless connections to BGCH, including various Valley residents who have served on the BGCH board of trustees. Simsbury resident Alan Kreczko, the retired general counsel at The Hartford, was the board chair in February 2020 when a Today Magazine cover story featured the club's innovative Men on a Mission program.

Bruce Wayne Jeffery is the president and CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Hartford — he took the leadership baton in March 2025 from Sam Gray, whose BGCH tenure lasted more than two decades.

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Gray began his employment at BGCH in October 2001 as vice president of operations, and in October 2007 he accepted the president and CEO role. Since September 2024, he has undertaken greater responsibility as vice president of the Northeast Region for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.

In January 2025, BGCH honored Gray by renaming its Sigourney Street club the Samuel S. Gray Jr. Boys & Girls Club at Asylum Hill — the club's previous name was simply the Asylum Hill Club.

Regarding ongoing BGCH goals for the next 1-5 years, Cole says: "Our goal is to do what we have done for the last 165 years. ... We’ll be here to keep the lights on after school, open doors to new opportunities, and give kids a fun and enriching place to go after school where their families know they are safe and cared for."

BGCH provides five club locations overall in Hartford — they are listed here with the name of the club director first, followed by the club name, phone number and street address:

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• 860-544-5729 •

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• Shyheim Williams — Samuel S. Gray Jr. Boys & Girls Club at Asylum Hill

• 860-929-7690 • Sigourney Street, Hartford CT 06105

• Dawne Gittens — Joseph D. Lapenta Northwest Boys & Girls Club

• 860-242-5553 • Nahum Drive, Hartford CT 06112

• Keitha Ingram — South End Boys & Girls Club

• 959-255-6472 • Ledyard Street, Hartford CT 06114

• Lourdes Carrasco — Southwest Boys & Girls Club

• 860-951-6416 • Chandler Street, Hartford CT 06106

• Kahari Mangual — Trinity College Boys & Girls Club

• 860-727-4154 • Broad Street, Hartford CT 06106

Opened in 1998, the Trinity College location was the first Boys & Girls Club in the nation to be affiliated with a college or university, according to the BGCH website. Renowned U.S. general Colin Powell traveled to Hartford to dedicate the new club.

Meanwhile, if you haven't visited the Alumni Hall of Fame webpage for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, the list may surprise you. The numerous Hall-of-Famers comprise a veritable who's who of celebrities and other accomplished club members from sea to shining sea — and this national directory enumerates "just a few of the many alumni who were influenced by their hometown Boys & Girls Club," per the webpage.

However, fame might be the least important ingredient vis-à-vis making a constructive impact in the lives of young people — and being an employee of the Boys & Girls Club isn't a prerequisite for such beneficial service, either.

Indeed, Cole notes that "volunteers help fuel our mission — we are always looking for people to join us in the clubs."

"Whether it’s helping with homework after school, teaching a new skill or joining us at one of our many events, we are grateful for people who share their time and talents," she says.

"Anytime we hear young people call their club their 'second home' ... it’s heartwarming" — Tomeka Cole of BGCH

Here's a partial list of club luminaries in the Alumni Hall of Fame, in alphabetical order and by profession:

• Movie and TV Actors — Anthony Anderson, Powers Boothe, Jamie Farr, Denzel Washington, Donnie and Mark Wahlberg

• Musicians and Singers — Ashanti Douglas, Ciara Princess Harris, Jennifer Lopez, Kool & The Gang: Ronald Bell, Robert “Kool” Bell, George “Funky” Brown, Charles “Claydes” Smith and Dennis “DT” Thomas

• Pro Athletes

• MLB aka Major League Baseball — Gary Carter, Tony Clark, Joe Morgan, Lou Piniella, Alex Rodriguez

• NBA — Andre Iguodala, Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Michael Jordan, Shaquille O’Neal, Bill Walton, Spud Webb, James Worthy

• WNBA — Swin Cash, Skylar Diggins, Chamique Holdsclaw

• NFL — Willie McGinest, Ahmad Rashad, Gale Sayers, Mark Schlereth, Junior Seau

• Misc. Sports — Katrina Adams: Women’s Tennis Association 20-time doubles champ – Brooke Bennett: Olympic swimming gold medalist – Evander Holyfield: world heavyweight boxing champion – “Sugar” Ray Leonard: world boxing champion in five different weight classes – Jackie Joyner-Kersee and Joan Benoit Samuelson: Olympic track-and-field gold medalists

• Various Professions — Harry Lee Anstead: former Florida Supreme Court chief justice – Michael P. Bell: former mayor of Toledo, Ohio – Erroll Brown: retired Coast Guard admiral – George Mitchell: former U.S. Senator from Maine and U.S. Senate majority leader – Rita Ng: physician, musician, Miss America second runner-up – Bernard Shaw: TV journalist – WWE athletes and entertainers: Trinity “Naomi” Fatu, Hulk Hogan, Paul “Triple H” Levesque •

While this is an impressive nationwide list, surely there are many other lesser-known alumni and unsung heroes who have benefited from the legacy of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Hartford — and this noteworthy nonprofit is hoping to be there for area youth for another 165 years and beyond. +

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Featuring community news that matters nationwide, Today Magazine Online aims to record Connecticut’s underreported upside — covering the heart of the Farmington Valley and beyond

Today publisher and editor-in-chief Bruce Deckert is an award-winning journalist who believes all people merit awards when we leverage our various God-given gifts for good — he previously served as an ESPN Digital Media editor and as a reporter and editor for the Journal Register Company in Connecticut