Our History
History of Watertown Boys & Girls Club
The Watertown Boys and Girls Club’s history is rich with tradition, dedication and commitment!
In the mid-to-late 1960’s, a dedicated group of community leaders in Watertown, MA came together to address the lack of daily, supervised recreational opportunities for young boys in town outside of the school system. The solution it seemed, was obvious… to create a recreation center where boys could get together to socialize, play and remain active.
Through this group’s leadership, planning, fundraising and the Watertown community’s support in the years that followed, their vision became a reality in 1972 when the “Boys’ Club of Watertown” opened and was officially elected to full membership of the Boys’ Clubs of America on September 12 of that year.
The organization’s progressive vision and dedication to the youth of Watertown continued in the years that followed when the Club became one of the first of its kind in the country to incorporate “Girls” into its name when it officially became “Watertown Boys & Girls Club” in January of 1980.
For over 50 years, the Club has served tens of thousands of children through its after-school and out-of-school programs and activities.
Today, the Club serves over 1000 annual youth members each year, and also provides activities and services to an additional 1,200 kids through cooperative programs and partnerships with the Watertown Recreation Department, the Watertown Family Network, Watertown Public schools and other community organizations.