Happy swimmers at the Dovercourt Boys & Girls Club enjoy their long-time partnership with United Way Toronto.
Dovercourt Boys and Girls Club
In the late 1950s, the neighbourhood around Ossington and Bloor was rife with gang activity and youth crime. Key community stakeholders agreed on the root of the problem: kids had nothing to do. To address this issue, they pooled their finances together to establish the Dovercourt Boys and Girls Club. That same year, the club became a United Way member agency.
Since its inception in 1958, Dovercourt has been a home-away-from-home for over 30,000 kids participating in everything from daycares to summer camps to youth job programs. Justin Hanna, campaign coordinator at the club, attributes this success to the amazing staff. "They’re the reason kids keep coming back," he says.
50 years later, the need for youth engagement programs is still acute. The Dovercourt Boys and Girls Club averages about 760 members a year, with about 200 kids coming through the doors every day. The demand for their services is so great that they have to turn some kids away.
To meet urgent demand and to celebrate its 50th anniversary with a splash, Dovercourt is expanding to include a whole new floor. "Fifty years ago, the club was drawn up to be two floors," says Justin. "Fifty years later, we’re going to finish that vision." The new space will include a teen lounge, a greenhouse, a planetarium, a theatre and a computer lab- all eagerly awaited by club members.
To complete this space, the Dovercourt Boys and Girls Club needs $1.5 million. Thanks to the support of the community and notably from songstress Nelly Furtado, the "Through The Roof" campaign has them more than halfway there.
In addition to the eventual inauguration of the second floor, the 50th anniversary of Dovercourt Boys and Girls Club was marked by one heck of a party. The Community Celebration on September 28 at Dovercourt Park featured carnival games, face painting, a BBQ and live entertainment.
Many important people attended the event including the Honourable David C. Onley, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, as well as the club’s local political representatives. Mayor David Miller presented the club with a scroll commemorating its 50-year contribution to the community. United Way VP of Community Investment, Waseem Syed, spoke about the Dovercourt Boys and Girls Clubs long-time partnership with United Way.