All Roads Head Toward Success at Boys & Girls Clubs L.A. Harbor

By Giving List Staff   |   November 18, 2022
BGCLAH High School Seniors at the 2022 College Bound Signing Day. 1,141 seniors participated in our College Bound program, with 99% graduating high school on time, with 97% attending a college or university this fall. Additionally, $17.9 million in financial aid and scholarships were secured for our Class of 2022.

The long tail of the pandemic has students still struggling to catch up. Isolation and fitful reintegration have led to a whole generation of students being years behind in their social, emotional, and academic development. And the toll is heavy. 

“We see the kids not wanting to interact with each other, having a hard time working with each other,” says Tony Tripp, chief development officer at Boys & Girls Clubs of the Los Angeles Harbor. “Kids have lost hope – we can see it on their faces.”

True to its mission since 1937, the BGCLAH helps young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, and responsible citizens. The BGCLAH serves over 2,600 kids per day, ranging from K-12th grade at 20 sites across the Los Angeles Harbor area.

To counter this disturbing trend, Boys & Girls Clubs of the Los Angeles Harbor launched the Pathways to Success initiative to ensure that every aspect of the club’s programming is geared to inspire kids about their futures. Through the initiative, kids work with staff to design a roadmap that will guide and encourage them to identify goals that will help them get to where they want to go. With Pathways to Success, kids see how passing a math test isn’t just about a grade, it’s a stepping stone to getting into college or landing that electrician apprenticeship. 

“They see how all these small goals along the way are contributing to what their future is going to be,” Tripp says. “That way they’re not bogged down by ‘the right now.’” 

Boys & Girls Clubs is a national organization, yet the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Los Angeles Harbor has a special significance. It is the oldest on the West Coast – founded in 1937– and the largest in L.A. County. The Los Angeles Harbor branch alone has 21 club sites from Gardena to the Harbor and serves upwards of 2,400 youth a day. 

Pathways to Success runs through the entire fabric of the organization, helping kids move toward a positive destination after high school, whether that’s college or a career in the trades. Kids interested in higher education can, from an early age, join the College Bound program, where they receive one-on-one case management to prepare them for college. For those kids who want to jump straight into the workforce after high school, the Club’s Career Bound program sets students up for apprenticeships and internships that can lead to good-paying jobs.

“We want all of our youth to see that they have a future and to know they can achieve whatever it is they want,” Tripp says. 

 

Boys & Girls Clubs of the Los Angeles Harbor

Donate now!

www.bgclaharbor.org 
(310) 833-0807
Chief Executive Officer: Mike Lansing

Mission

True to its mission since 1937, the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Los Angeles Harbor helps young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, and responsible citizens. We achieve this through a commitment to quality programs and services in an environment that is safe, nurturing and inspiring.

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We know you care about where your money goes and how it is used. Connect with this organization’s leadership in order to begin to build this important relationship. Your email will be sent directly to this organization’s director of development and/or Executive Director.

“Giving back to our community is a big part of what the ILWU does and the partnership between the ILWU and the BGCLAH is one of those things that feeds the heart of the community. It’s a huge thing to be surrounded by positive influences as a kid and gives them opportunity to pursue their dreams. The Club molds young people’s lives – they molded mine. I am the man today, the father today, because of the Boys & Girls Club. And the ILWU is so proud to be a part of an organization that makes such an impact in our community.”
Gary Herrera
BGCLAH Club Alumnus,
1978-1991 & ILWU Local 13 President

Back Boys and Girls on Their Pathways to Success

The Boys & Girls Clubs of the LA Harbor is raising $250,000 to steer students onto their Pathway to Success so that kids can realize the futures they want. 

The Club has been a life changer for Nohemi Hernandez, who grew up in Wilmington, California, a city fraught with violence. Thanks to the Club, Nohemi got the opportunities and support she needed to prosper in school. She graduated high school with a 4.3 GPA and has recently begun her freshman year at UC Berkeley.

A $5,000 donation is enough to sponsor one young person like Nohemi as they journey toward a rewarding career and hopeful future. Thank you for helping Club youth reach their Pathway to Success!

Key Supporters

California Community
Foundation
LASIF
Windsong Trust
Ballmer Group
Eisner Foundation
Rose Hill Foundation
Marathon Petroleum
Valero Energy
Phillips 66
Parsons Foundation
Gogian Foundation