Our History

Celebrating 21 Years of Inspiring & Empowering Youth

The Boys & Girls Club of Portage County has changed a lot over the last 20 years, but our mission remains the same - to inspire and empower youth to realize their full potential. Join us as we look back and celebrate the people and places that helped us build what we have today. We hope you enjoy this trip through our archives!

The Early Days - A Vision for Children

Founders of The Noel Group and Travel Guard, John & Patty Noel, shared a vision to start a Boys & Girls Club in Portage County to provide children from all walks of life a positive place to go after school and during the summer months to have fun and be involved in programming. They invited other like-minded people through a public community forum at Ben Franklin Junior High School, then a concerned and diverse group of community leaders formed a Board of Directors, toured other Boys & Girls Clubs around the state, and hired Kevin Quevillon as the Club's Executive Director. In these first five years, broad support from the community fueled the Club to grow and serve children at an astonishing rate. Clubs were opened in September of 2002 simultaneously on Ellis Street, downtown Stevens Point, and at JF Kennedy Elementary. Soon after, an additional Club was established at Madison View Apartments in Stevens Point during the summer months, then in Plover, and then at Jefferson Elementary School. 

  • Slide title

    Boys & Girls Club Potluck in 2003. 

    Button

  • Slide title

    BGC Trip to Minoqua in 2003. 

    Button

  • Slide title

    Milwaukee Brewer Trip 2003.

    Button

  • Slide title

    BGC Potluck 2003. 

    Button

  • Slide title

    Plover Center Grand Opening 2006.

    Button

  • Slide title

    Aaron Schiller at the Club Downtown Stevens Point.

    Button

  • Slide title

    Sam Dinga as Teen Center Director

    Button

  • Slide title

    2006 Woodchucks Game

    Button

Growth & Expansion Continued

During these years, the Boys & Girls Club continued to expand at a rapid pace to provide Club programming throughout Portage County. Clubs were now available in Stevens Point, Junction City, Plover, and Almond-Bancroft. Growth in specialized programming to address specific needs of the community and youth included a Teen Center, Free Summer Lunch program, Gateway Report Center and Portage County Truancy Abatement Program.  The Club was intentional in operating high impact programs in locations that were accessible to children and teens that needed services the most.     

  • Slide title

    Rich Johnson 2008. 

    Button

  • Slide title

    Junction City Club Site 2008.

    Button

  • Slide title

    Rich Johnson 2008.

    Button

  • Slide title

    Firefighters visit the Club to teach safety in 2008.

    Button

  • Slide title

    Kevin Quevillon and Founding Board Member, Anne Schierl at 2010 Bike-a-thon

    Button

  • Slide title

    Danielle Belsky, Carie Winn, and Wendy Staven in 2010 - Bike Giveaway

    Button

  • Slide title

    2011 Fine Arts Exhibit at Mark Toyota of Plover

    Button

  • Slide title

    2012 Thanksgiving Banquet at Ellis Street

    Button

  • Slide title

    2012 Celebrate Plover

    Button

  • Slide title

    Junction City Club Site 2008

    Button

  • Slide title

    10-Year Anniversary in 2012

    Button

Building for the Future

Thanks to the generosity of many the Club conducted its first Capital Campaign, called “Building Great Futures.” Through a successful $4.2 million campaign, the Boys & Girls Club of Portage County constructed its first, official home base in Stevens Point – the Berard Center and home to the Delta Dental Smile Club in 2015. The successful capital campaign also funded a $1 million renovation to the Plover Center in 2018. A full-service Food Service program provides free healthy meals and snacks to youth year-round. A new Boys & Girls Club was established in Rosholt. New and innovative programs continue to be added to serve children and teens – Be Great Graduate program at PJ Jacobs, Ben Franklin, and SPASH, Great Futures Social-Emotional Learning program, a Youth Enrichment Services (YES) Center, and most recently, a Workforce Development Program called YouthForce.   

  • Slide title

    2018 - Plover Center Grand Reveal After $1 Million Renovation.

    Button

  • Slide title

    2017 - SentryCares Donates Gifts for All Club Members

    Button

  • Slide title

    2017 - Club Wide Trip to Bay Beach. 

    Button

  • Slide title

    2018 - Herb Kohl Philanthropies Gives our Teens Educational Trip to Washington D.C.

    Button

  • Slide title

    New BGC Shuttle Donated. 

    Button

  • Slide title

    2018 - Lowe's Renovation Across the Nation Grant Awarded and Berard Center Lower Level Renovated. 

    Button

  • Slide title

    2018 Delta Dental Smile Club Open House 

    Button

  • Slide title

    2019 Filmmakers Club Film Festival

    Button

  • Slide title

    2020 Hearts to Spread Love 

    Button

  • Slide title

    2021 E-Learning Days

    Button

Thanks to broad community support the Boys & Girls Club remains mission-focused

“To inspire and empower our youth to realize their full potential.”   

Share by: