First published in the Aug. 11 print issue of the Pasadena Outlook.
The Boys & Girls Club of Pasadena is celebrating its 85th anniversary starting this month.
The year-long commemoration will honor the club’s legacy serving Pasadena children and youth since 1937, and the celebration will kick off with a large birthday party open to the community at the Club’s Mackenzie-Scott Clubhouse on 2020 N. Fair Oaks Ave. on Aug. 5 from 4-7 p.m.
Festivities will include a kids’ basketball clinic with basketball street legend SikWitIt, games, food trucks, backpack giveaways, tours of the newly renovated clubhouse and more. Entry to the event is free, and food and drinks will be available for purchase from Lupita’s Tacos and Kona Ice food trucks.
“We’re so excited to honor this milestone of serving kids in our Pasadena community. We’re 85 years old and we never looked better. We look forward to celebrating with the community on Aug. 5,” said Lisa Cavelier, CEO of Boys & Girls Club of Pasadena.
According to Cavelier, the club has undergone significant transitions in its 85-year history, including merging with the Girls Club in 1990, several leadership transitions, changes in program offerings, and rebuilding a clubhouse in the 1970s after a devastating fire.
“This milestone is an opportunity to look back at how far we’ve come, and how we continue to meet the needs of Pasadena’s kids and families for safe and affordable out-of-school care that, in many cases, changes lives,” Cavelier said.
Most recently, the club has increased its tutoring and other academic support programs in response to pandemic learning loss, added two new after-school program sites at Odyssey Charter Schools, and completed full renovations at its two Pasadena clubhouses.
Since 1937, the Boys & Girls Club of Pasadena has enriched the lives of young people in the community, enabling them to reach their full potential as productive, caring, healthy and responsible citizens. Serving more than 2,000 youth, 6 to 18 years old, annually, BGCP focuses on academic success, healthy lifestyle, and good character and leadership.
The club experience fills the gap between school and home — year-round — providing a welcoming, safe and positive environment in which kids and teens have fun, participate in life-changing programs, make friends and find encouragement with caring adults.
The main clubhouse locations in Pasadena are at Slavik Branch on E. Del Mar Blvd., and Mackenzie-Scott Branch on N. Fair Oaks Ave.
