Newly formed organization seeks to expand services
In May of 2019, a merger agreement was signed between Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Maria Valley and Boys & Girls Clubs of North SLO County to create a unified, more effective youth development organization on California’s Central Coast. Currently, the organization operates 11 club sites in the communities of Santa Maria, Guadalupe, Paso Robles and Atascadero.
The merger provided an opportunity to serve more children and teens throughout the region. We are now known as Boys & Girls Clubs of the Central Coast. By working together, we are able to empower more young people and play an instrumental role in preparing them for a successful future. We are here to ensure that our youth have every opportunity to reach their full potential.
Our vision is to open nine additional club sites in the region by 2025. Plans are in the works to open a new club site in Shandon this fall in coordination and partnership with the Shandon Joint Unified School District and must! Charities.
In partnership with the Shandon Joint Unified School District and must! Charities, Boys & Girls Clubs of the Central Coast will be opening a new school-based club site in Shandon this fall. As a result, more than 100 children will have a safe place to learn and grow during the school year. In addition, and thanks to a three-year commitment of $150,000 from must! charities, BGCCC will be operating summer and out-of-school time
programming as well.
Shandon will greatly benefit in part due to the staggering recent statistics that 30 percent of youth under the age of 18 in Shandon are considered homeless. The collaboration between the Shandon Joint Unified School District, must! charities, and Boys & Girls Clubs of the Central Coast is a true example of communities coming together to meet the needs of those who need us most.
The Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce has honored Boys & Girls Clubs of the Central Coast as the Chamber’s “Nonprofit Organization of the Year.”
Boys & Girls Clubs of the Central Coast is uncompromising in its focus, mission and vision. The success of the organization largely depends on its dedicated staff and Board volunteers who are responsible for the transformative work in the lives of the youth they serve. 2,500-plus children and teens throughout the organization’s service area benefit from high-quality, outcomes focused and safe programs year-round. More than 80 youth development professionals work together to offer daily access to programs in five core areas: Character and Leadership Development; Education and Career Development; Health and Life Skills; The Arts; and Sports, Fitness and Recreation.
On September 14, our 19th Annual Champions of Youth Gala will take place at the Paso Robles Inn. This year, we will be honoring Kathleen Maas and remembering her late husband Tom Maas who recently donated $450,000 to purchase land for new clubsite in the Paso Robles community. This is the largest single donation in the history of the organization. All proceeds from this event will benefit programs and services offered in Paso Robles.
“We believe that kindness and generosity are contagious and we are expecting a successful event,” said Kathryn Scott, Director of Events.
Capital Campaign and Launch of the Tom Maas Legacy Fund
Kathleen and the late Tom Maas provided Boys & Girls Clubs of the Central Coast with the largest single gift from a private donor in the organization’s 53 year history. Tom’s passion and philanthropic spirit were undeniable. The gift was restricted to purchasing property in Paso Robles to build a new club site. To memorialize Tom’s vision and passion for the mission of Boys & Girls Clubs, the organization’s leadership chose to name the proposed club site The Tom Mass Boys & Girls Club. Boys & Girls Clubs of the Central Coast is currently working on the building design and related plans to meet the needs of the community and determine costs for the project. A capital campaign will be launched in the months to come.
In addition to the proposed capital campaign, Boys & Girls Clubs of the Central Coast is launching a Tom Mass Legacy Fund to create sustainability in support of the projected growth in the Paso Robles community. With the support of Tom’s family (Kathleen, Dan, and Tammy), the organization will offer special giving opportunities inclusive of leadership gifts and naming rights for the proposed clubsite named in his memory.
