Harlan County Boys & Girls Club Inc

In 2001, a group of concerned parents began a youth sports organization to provide positive activities to children in Harlan County.  It was soon clear that children needed help beyond sports.  They needed a safe place with caring adults who would guide them.  We became southeast Kentucky's only chartered Boys & Girls Club.

We welcome all children but place a special emphasis on children from disadvantaged circumstances.  We needn't look far to find them.  40% of Harlan County's children live below the poverty line.  96% live in a neighborhood classified as "high poverty".  Harlan County ranks 117 out of Kentucky's 120 counties in a health outcomes study.  25% of our afterschool population has experienced the loss of a parent with the majority of those deaths stemming from drug addiction.  The task of improving life for our youngest citizens is daunting but the stakes are too high for us to fail!

Our afterschool & summer programs give children ages 6-18 the opportunity to meet friends, get homework assistance, exercise, enjoy healthy snacks, create art, learn leadership skills, & access technology.  Children in our Club might tell you about the awesome field trips we take and the delicious watermelon at our famous cookouts.  Teens would tell you about going on college visits, touring Washington D.C. on a Club trip, or getting hired for their first jobs at the Club.  Those are great memories!  

Scattered among those happy memories are sad stories of children coping with addiction in their homes, the death of their parents, & relentless poverty.  Even during those dark times, the Boys & Girls Club is a support.  Ask any member who has stood before a judge or a coffin with a Boys & Girls Club staff at their side.

The staff & board of our Boys & Girls Club are dedicated to providing the greatest access to the children who need us the most. Membership fees are $25 per school year for one child or $50 per school year for a family of children.  No one is ever turned away due to inability to pay that fee.  Last year, membership fees covered 2% of our total expenses.  We rely on grants, fundraisers, and generous donors to supply the remaining 98%!