HISTORY
In spring of 1981, the Gainesville Junior Woman's Club planted seeds that would one day provide a harvest unknown to Alachua County. By a simple vote, they decided to investigate the community need and interest for a Girls Club. Gently nurturing the garden they sowed, they sought the fertilizer of local support. After droughts of anticipation, that support fell like rain.
By fall 1981, the
roots of the Girls Club were beginning to stretch throughout Gainesville.
Non-profit status was recorded with the Florida Secretary of State and charter number 765828 was assigned. Shortly after, Internal Revenue Exemption
(59-2274755) was approved as 501-(c)3.
The current executive
director, Renae Clements, was hired in January 1985 as a finishing touch
to the already strong foundation. The summer after, the field was ready
to be harvested. The hard work and dedication of all involved blossomed
into the first Girls Club summer day camp staffed by volunteers and held
at Sidney Lanier School.
By fall of 1985, the City of Gainesville realized the demand for the services the Girls Club offered and granted 5.3 acres of land located at 2101 NW 39th Avenue. Less than a year later in April 1986, construction began on the clubhouse that would host a lifetime of memories for girls of all ages.
As school began in
August 1987, so did the first after-school program at the Girls Club of
Alachua County Clubhouse. Recognizing the unprecedented climate of freedom
and harmony that the Girls Club enabled, United Way announced in January
1988 the Girls Club as one of their affiliated agents. The bounty of the
Girls Club also has been recognized by many people in the community. It
provides an avenue for girls to grow and thrive together. Finally, girls ages 5-18 have an opportunity to find identity, develop potential and
achieve responsibility in an environment created solely for them.
In the spring of 1991,
a 15-member rotating Board of Directors of the Girls Club of Alachua County
Foundation was formed and officers were elected. By November of that same
year, the Florida Secretary of State recorded non-profit corporation status
for the Girls Club of Alachua County Foundation and charter N46179 was
assigned. In May of 1992, Internal Revenue Service Foundation No. ENI
59-3120455 was granted.
Nearly 20 years after the first seeds of ideas were planted, the Girls Club has evolved into a passageway from childhood to womanhood for many girls in the Gainesville community. The young women of today are learning to become tomorrow's future by living and developing in a continuously changing world. The Girls Club of Alachua County embraces this future as the dew of a new dawn. In this light of opportunity and challenge, Girls Club girls will prosper.
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