Boys & Girls Club of America

When it comes to serving children, Kiwanis International and Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) both have long and successful histories. The two organizations work collaboratively, promoting and supporting local Kiwanis and Boys & Girls Clubs partnerships at the grassroots level.

The leaders of Kiwanis and BGCA, as well as local affiliates of the two organizations, continue to work closely to achieve an even greater positive impact in the lives of children and in communities nationwide. A critical need that has been identified by the two organizations is the shortage of adult mentors for children in urgent need of a caring adult role model in their lives. To that end, the two organizations have mobilized a National Mentor Recruitment Partnership to address the mentoring needs of all children—with an emphasis on closing the mentor gap for minority males in the United States.

At the local level, the National Mentor Recruitment Partnership model is simple. Nearly 1,300 local Boys & Girls Clubs have received National Mentoring Program grants from BGCA and the U.S. Office of Justice Programs. And the professional staff of local Boys & Girls Clubs have been trained to reach out to their local Kiwanis clubs. The local Boys & Girls Clubs and Kiwanis clubs may work with each other to determine the need for and feasibility of mentor-recruitment partnerships in their communities. BGCA will provide all appropriate and required communications, reporting, recognition, technical assistance and partnership-management support.