Local History

 

Envisioned by the Pilot Club of Panama City, a steering committee was formed on December 5, 1973. The charter and by-laws were accepted January 1974. A lease was secured for the Youth Center located at 1324 McKenzie Avenue and The Girls Club opened its doors Saturday, December 21, 1974. The center was originally open Saturdays only for girls that were at least 11 years of age.

 

The first fundraiser, a dinner held May 16, 1975, raised about $6,000. By August of 1975, the Girls Club had a membership of fifty-three girls between 9 and 12 years old. The club began to open five days a week.

 

In January 1976, we became a United Way Agency. July 14, 1976, The Girls Club moved to the Jr. Deputy’s building located at 1929 W. 12th Street and was open to girls ages 6–18.

 

By June 1977, the Oakland Terrace Men’s Club and the Bay County Commission gave The Girls Club a parcel of land on the southwest corner of Oakland Terrace Park. In the spring of 1978, plans for a 6,700 square-foot facility were ready and a Capital Fund Drive had begun.

 

On December 13, 1978, we became a member of Girls Clubs of America. In February 1979, students and faculty of Haney Vocational School began construction of the 6,700 square foot facility.

 

In April 1980, the national organization recognized our club for our Career Awareness and Sports Unlimited programs. The following September, we held an Open House to dedicate our new facility.

In April 1983, we received national recognition again for the Cooperation, Responsibility, and Participation program. In 1984, a second van was donated by Mr. Claude Shell.

 

Sports Unlimited, a program developed here in the Bay County Girls Club became a national resource in April 1985.

 

In 1986, we began to use Oakland Terrace Elementary School as a summer expansion site. The Just Say NO rally, encouraging youths to say no to drugs, was put on by The Girls Club and ended up reaching 12,000 Bay County boys and girls.

 

In 1990, The Girls Club became Girls Incorporated. Also this year on a local level we began Bay BASE for the Bay County School Board and initiated programming for Preventing Adolescent Pregnancy due to donations from the Junior Service League. In April 1991, we received national program recognition for On The Lead: Linking Girls to Leadership.

 

In 1992, we started an outreach program at the Pana Villa apartments. Then in 1993, we organized and began the all-girls basketball league for Bay County. We also received a national “Expansion Award” for our SMART Outreach initiative with Rutherford High School. One of our volunteers, Wesley Scott, received the Region IV “Volunteer of the Year” Award. Another outreach program was initiated at Surfside Middle School in 1994.

 

In 1995, Girls Incorporated of America and the Kauffman Foundation selected our organization to be a pilot for Youth Empowerment and Self-Sufficiency (YESS), which is a mini-society program. Kateesha McConnell won a $1,000 national scholarship and we were bestowed national recognition for our Girls All-County Basketball League.

 

The Kauffman Foundation chose Girls Incorporated of Bay County in 1997 to become a trainer for YESS. Seven teens and two staff participated in a Youth Exchange Council in England for two weeks. Also this year our first van, which was acquired in 1977, had to retire and we obtained a bus.

 

In 2000, we were awarded the “Affiliate of the Year” by Region IV for organizations of our size, recognizing the outstanding work of our Executive Director, Staff, and Board of Directors.

 

In 2003, we piloted a new national program called Living Safe and Strong. Connie Adrian, the Director of Programs at that time, was invited in 2004 to be a part of the training team for new program directors at the National Resource Center’s Program Director’s Institute.

 

For additional information about Girls Incorporated of Bay County, please contact us at 850-769-6703.

 

Girls Incorporated is an United Way agency.