About Us

Our History

In the late 1950’s, Springfield’s east side was tough place for a child to grow up. The negative influences of violence, crime, and alcohol were around almost every corner. Chartered on November 1st, 1956, the Boys Club of Springfield set out to become the positive place for children in the area.

The club was originally located on 8th Street until a fire destroyed the building, and forced the club to temporarily move to an older building on 11th Street. The facility in use today was built in 1960 on an historic piece of property at the intersection of 15th & Monroe.

In 1992, the club became Boys & Girls Club of Springfield, recognizing that the girls in our community equally needed a safe place to grow and develop into responsible young women. In 2007, the Club officially changed its name to Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Illinois to represent our expanded service area.

Today, we operate in 22 locations, including our Central Unit, as well as 21 elementary and middle schools throughout Sangamon and Morgan counties. Each day, we serve roughly 1,000+ youth, providing character building activities, academic programs, and healthy activities. All of our programming is geared towards delivering measurable outcomes that help our members become responsible citizens in our community, live healthy lifestyles, and reach their full potential.