Club History
The Boys & Girls Club of Chicopee has been a cornerstone of the community for over a century. The earliest known facts of the Club go back to 1912 when the Club was incorporated. The Club was then located on Dwight Street with approximately 100 boys in the program. In 1914, newspaper articles indicated that the Club was still in existence with a very active basketball team which participated in competition with the Springfield Boys Club. The City of Chicopee later gave the Club an old school building located on Royal Street in Chicopee. According to newspaper articles, the Club was very active.
The Chicopee Boys Club was elected to the National Boys Clubs of America in 1952. The Fraternal Order of the Eagles (Chicopee Boys Club official name) was very active in programming and activities. On June 1, 1956, the Fraternal Order of Eagles was incorporated. Sometime in 1956 the Fairview Lodge and the Boys Club merged, duly noted on April 1, 1957 by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Hampden County Registry of Deeds.
From that day forward, the Boys Club had been known as the Chicopee Boys Club, Inc. In 1988, the Club’s name changed again to the Chicopee Boys & Girls Club, Inc., duly noted March 1988 by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Secretary of State’s Office.
In 1980 the Club, through an extensive Capitol Fund Drive, built a new cinder block, one story building on Meadow Street. In 1988 a 16’ x 28’ shed was built and dramatic renovations and improvements were made internally to comply with licensing regulations and to better utilize space.
In 2007, after an intense $1.5 Million Capital Campaign, the Club completed an addition to the building which included a new gymnasium, locker rooms, fitness room, and storage room. The project also renovated existing spaces, including a learning and technology center and a kitchen.
In 2015, the Club completed another phase of renovations. This converted the original gymnasium, which was being used as a Game Room, to a more moderately sized game room with classrooms for Fine Arts, Digital Technology, Music, and Meeting space. Included was dropping the ceiling from 22’ to 12’, with new LED lighting. An original locker room was transformed to a Tween Center, and new flooring and ceilings were installed in the administrative wing. Safety features, including a camera system and buzzer entry were also added.
In 2018, the Club received a grant from the national non-profit KaBoom!, Newell Brands and the City of Chicopee Community Development Block Grant Program, to build a brand new 3,000 sq ft. playground. Club members helped design their dream playground. Over 150 volunteers from the community helped to complete the entire playground build in one day.
