Inside the Boys & Girls Club of Boca Raton

Be a beacon of hope in Boca Raton:

Boys & Girls Club of Boca Raton’s 4th Annual Securing Our Future Soiree

The Great Masquerade ~ Thursday, October 20 at The Boca Raton

We all remember needing a snack after school, doing our homework and running outside to play.

For some children, that all happens at home. But for many children, heading home after school is not an option because no one else is there yet. 

This is where the Boys & Girls Club of Boca Raton comes in. It is one of 20 Boys & Girls Clubs throughout Palm Beach County and one of over 4000 Boys & Girls Clubs across America serving children ages 6-18. 

The Clubs provide a place for children to go to each day after school as a safe, fun and constructive alternative to being home alone. 

“There are nearly 100 at the Boca Raton Club every day after school. The majority of these children come from families who earn less than $30,000 per year. Taking that into account, the annual tuition for the Boys & Girls Club is only $30 and what we provide is so much more than a safe place for the kids to be after school,” says Mandy Bohlman, Chair of the Boys & Girls

“The main focuses are hunger relief, education and mental health. The children have a snack and a hot meal every day. There is a certified teacher who comes and works with the children to ensure they are staying on track academically and as a result of the pandemic, every club has a Social Emotional Learning coordinator on staff to teach the children healthy habits and how to respectfully interact with others,” adds Bohlman.

Boys & Girls Clubs are also where many children receive their only gift of the holiday season and where many have the only opportunity to play an organized sport throughout the school year. Boys & Girls Club of Boca Raton field trips to local resort, The Boca Raton, for tennis lessons, fitness and fun allow for just that.

“The reason why I love signing up for tennis is because I get to learn to play new sports and stuff,” says a young man named Dylan, who has been a part of the Boys & Girls Club of Boca Raton for six years. 

Executive leaders say it’s the staff members like Garvey Antoine who are the true superheroes. 

Antoine is a criminal justice major at Florida Atlantic University studying to be a lawyer. He grew up in the Boys & Girls Club of Boca Raton program, starting at the age of 6. 

“I feel like it changes your life for the better and it kind of steers you away from the wrong things and it’ll make a difference for sure,” says Antoine. 

According to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County, 95% of Club members live at or below poverty level and depend on the Clubs for extra assistance. Many of the families haven’t recovered from the pandemic which is why community support - whether it be time volunteered, donations or holiday gift giving - makes such a difference. 

“Our future goals of the Boca club are to have a whole new building so we can serve more at risk youth in Boca Raton. The majority of children at our club are in elementary school but when we have a larger facility, we will be able to serve more middle and high schoolers. This is so important because the club has the capability to offer career readiness programs and juniors and seniors are eligible to apply for the Youth of the Year program which gives a four year Florida college scholarship to the winner from each club with the opportunity to compete against the other club winners for a four year university scholarship plus room and board,” says Bohlman.

Tickets are still available for the Boys & Girls Club of Boca Raton’s 4th Annual Securing Our Future Soiree! The fundraising event will take place at The Boca Raton on Thursday, October 20th at 6:30pm and will feature a “Great Masquerade” theme. The evening will began with a cocktail hour & silent auction followed by a seated dinner at 7:30pm with speakers and a live auction. Dancing & entertainment to follow. Katie and Abraham Ovadia will serve as the event’s Honorary Chairs and proceeds benefit Boys & Girls Club of Boca Raton. For tickets and to learn more about the Boys & Girls Club, contact Nicole Miranda at nmiranda@bgcpbc.org or (561) 676-5472.

Securing Our Future Soiree

Help the Boys & Girls Club of Boca Raton Soar! Thursday, October 20, 2022