Our Story

The Boys & Girls Club of Hilton Head Island was established in 1990 at Sandlewood, a local low-income housing project located on the Island. In 1999, a 29,000 square foot facility was built near the Hilton Head School complex off Gumtree Road, the cost of which was paid 100% from donations by local organizations and private donors. For over thirty years, the Club has served local children ages 6-18 with outstanding educational and recreational programs after school and all day in the summer. 

We currently have over 260 members enrolled, and over 200 children walk through our doors every day. We serve a total of 48,000 meals to those children ever year. We have a diverse membership comprised of 42% Latino, 29% Caucasian, 28% African-American and 1% identifying as “other.”

Each year, we meet our annual budget through three community fundraisers, a board-driven private appeal, donations from long-time supporters, and local and national grants. We do not receive governmental funding. 

On the surface, Hilton Head Island appears to be a community of significant wealth, yet a staggering 63% of our Club members live in families that fall below the national federal poverty guidelines. In fact, 45% of our members’ families fall at the lowest level, making $25,000 or less per year.

At our Boys & Girls Club, 48% of our members live in single-parent homes or with a grandparent. Most all our Club families are hourly wage employees, many with multiple jobs. Many of these children have multiple places they stay at night and frequently they don’t know where that will be.

Our mission is simple – to enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, RESPONSIBLE citizens. 

We have enjoyed great success as an organization, but there is more to be done. We need to prepare the Club for the new generation of learners who may be left behind without access to technology and innovation to spark their interest and feed their passions. As our tourism economy grows so does the demand for workers who need extended hours of after school and summer child care. We need to be able to serve more children and need to ensure they have access to academic programs and enrichment opportunities that they would otherwise never have.