County of Benton, 5606 W Canal Dr, Ste 106, Kennewick, WA 99336, US

In 1992, two local businessmen were reminiscing about the great times they had growing up in a Boys Club in the Seattle area. These individuals decided that this was something the youth of the Tri-Cities should experience, and started a Board of Directors committed to establishing a Boys & Girls Club locally. On September 21, 1996 the Boys & Girls Clubs of Benton and Franklin Counties opened its doors for the first time in Volunteer Park in Pasco, with only 2 staff and 17 youth. By 2007 we had 3, 000 members. In December of 1996, the Club received its official charter and became the first Boys & Girls Club in Eastern Washington. At that time, the nearest Club to the east was Lewiston, Idaho and the nearest to the west was Bellevue, Washington - both of which have been in existence for over sixty years each. Within only a few months it was apparent that the community would embrace the efforts of the Boys & Girls Club. Cash and in-kind partners stepped forward including KEPR-TV, Essco Electric, the City of Pasco, Pasco Housing Authority, Kennewick Housing Authority, Moon Security, Nike Golf Tournament, AM/PM Arco, Department of Social and Health Services, United Way, Tri-City Court Club, Columbia Center Rotary, Bechtel Foundation and Fluor Daniel. Today the Boys & Girls Clubs of Benton and Franklin Counties operates 11 club sites in the Tri-Cities area. The Main Branch is over 22, 000 sq. ft. dedicated to serving kids ranging in the ages from 3-12. The Bobbie Littrell Teen Center provides services directly targeting youth grades 6 and up. In 2004 we opened the Columbia Center Rotary Branch Music & Arts Center in downtown Kennewick. The Brighter Horizons program openned in 2007 and offers infant and toddler care to the children of students at New Horizons School, and Club Discovery serves preschoolers and kindergarteners. The Boys & Girls Clubs also operates licensed childcare at Finley Elementary School, Maya Angelou Elementary, Ruth Livingston Elementary, James McGee Elementary, and Mark Twain Elementary School in Pasco and Ki-Be Elementary School in Benon City. The Club provides over 1, 200 hours of programming per week among these eleven sites and employs over 60 professional staff. Membership fees are kept low at $10 per year and average daily attendance at the eleven branches is over 700 kids. Boys & Girls Clubs of America had its beginnings in 1860 with several women in Hartford, Conn. Believing that boys who roamed the streets should have a positive alternative, they organized the first Club. A cause was born.