Boys & Girls Clubs of Carson

BGCC’s unique youth development strategy successfully transitions youth from one developmental milestone to the next, creating a strong foundation of skills and knowledge to help young people reach their full potential.

We work towards the following organization outcomes:
• 100% of case managed Club seniors will graduate high school on time.
• 98% of case managed Club seniors will pursue post-secondary education with the other 2% supported into the workforce.
• 75% of case managed Club members with a D or F in English and/or Mathematics will improve by a minimum of one grade.
• 56% of Club members will exercise at least 60 minutes a day, five days a week.

Young people who participate in quality after-school programs develop strong social skills, have higher graduation rates, and build stronger pipelines into college and career. Our programs address inequalities to reduce the likelihood that our youth will practice unsafe behaviors. The Club works year-round to provide vibrant and academically enriching spaces for young people to grow and succeed with adult mentors and through outcome-driven programs.

RESOURCES:
Boys & Girls Clubs of Carson has an operating budget of over $5 million, receiving funds from a variety of revenue streams.

EXECUTIVE STAFF:
CEO, Kim Richards has worked in the nonprofit sector for over 33 years, 17 of them serving as the CEO of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Carson. Prior to her career in Boys & Girls Clubs, she worked for several national nonprofits including the American Red Cross, YMCA and, American Cancer Society. Kim has extensive knowledge of fiscal management, staff development, fundraising, and collaborative partnerships. Kim earned a BA in Psychology and an MBA, both from Western Washington University.

VP of Finance, Don Abbe has 38 years of experience working in the private and nonprofit sector. He joined the Club in 2010 and ensures that every dollar is spent in the most efficient manner. Don works closely with auditors to make sure that our organization complies with all federal, state, and local statutory requirements. He earned a BS in Accounting and Business Management from the University of Washington.

Maria Valdovinos, VP of Operations, joined BGCC in 2013 as the Site Coordinator of our John Muir Middle School Club. 2016-2019, Maria served as the Main Street Clubhouse Unit Director; and from 2019-2023 she served as Director of School Services. Maria has extensive experience implementing and supervising youth programs as well as working as a community representative to increase parent and community involvement in the Los Angeles Unified School District. Maria is a graduate of Soka University of America, where she earned her Bachelors degree in Liberal Arts with a concentration in International Studies.

VP of Development and Marketing, Nina Patel, has 15 years of progressive leadership experience working in nonprofit fundraising and management. She joined the Club in 2022 and ensures a sustainable and diverse portfolio of philanthropic revenue. She works closely with donors and staff to ensure strong community ties between the Club and a growing number of local and national corporate, foundation, and individual supporters. Nina has extensive experience in strategic planning, board governance, corporate and foundation giving, rebranding, and program development.

EXTERNAL:
Connections/Collaborations - BGCC believes that an important part of our success lies in our collaborative partnerships with other community-based organizations and experts within education, health, and leadership sectors providing our youth and staff with the best learning experience. The Club continues to grow community partnerships each year.

In 1991, Boys & Girls Clubs of Carson (BGCC) obtained non-profit status and began serving youth the following year. In 2004, the BGCC became a Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) Beyond the Bell after school service provider and serves as the lead agency for six Clubs providing after school programs in 18 schools throughout the district. In 2006, we began focusing our efforts on teens to address the low graduation and high drop out rates. We are now one of the largest teen-serving Clubs in Los Angeles County. We partnered with the United Way of Greater Los Angeles in 2007 to improve the educational achievement of middle school youth, leading to the creation of our successful AIM (Achievement In Middle School) Initiative. In 2013, we expanded our reach into South Los Angeles with three additional LAUSD school sites (two middle schools and one high school). The following year we added another high school in South Los Angeles. In 2018 BGCC added Rancho Dominguez Preparatory School, a middle and high span school in Long Beach, to its after-school sites.

Today, we serve a total of approximately 5,000 youth each day collectively at our Main Street Clubhouse, seven additional afterschool sites, and 13 elementary school sites for specialized enrichment programs after school and Playworks recess-time social recreation during the day and social-emotional learning (SEL) program in the communities of Carson, South Los Angeles, Gardena, Compton, and Long Beach.

Since our inception we have built our capacity, enhanced our programs, increased our scope, and created a fiscally sound and responsible organization. The BGCC is primed for growth to address the increasing demand for our services.