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What if Boys & Girls Clubs of Northeast Florida earned a penny every time you searched the Internet?

GoodSearch.com is a new search engine that donates half its revenue, about a penny per search, to the charities its users designate. You use it just as you would any search engine, and it's powered by Yahoo!, so you get great results.

Just go to www.goodsearch.com and be sure to enter "Boys & Girls Club - Northeast Florida" as the charity you want to support.

Boys & Girls Clubs of Northeast Florida is chartered under, and a proud affiliate of, Boys & Girls Clubs of America - the United States’ most effective youth development organization.

Chartered on July 23, 1962 with a site for one Club at Liberty and 10th Streets the Boys Club of Jacksonville opened its first location, the Laurence F. Lee Club, in April 1966. In 1988, the Boys Club of Jacksonville became the Boys & Girls Clubs of Northeast Florida.

Now serving over 8,000 young people annually at 12 facilities, each strategically placed to serve those who need us most, boys & girls are rising above daunting circumstances to build a brighter future for themselves and for our communities in Duval, Nassau, and St. Johns counties.

"To inspire and enable all young people, especially those from disadvantaged circumstances, to realize their full potential as productive, responsible, and caring citizens."

We help young people achieve positive life outcomes using a holistic, research-based, nationally developed youth development program that is proven to promote leadership, character, health, and career development. Generous community support and extensive collaboration allows us to help Northeast Florida’s least advantaged young people achieve solid, measurable, positive life outcomes.

Positive Self Identity: Youth have a healthy self-concept and a strong belief in their own self-worth. Youth have a sense of hope about their future; they are adept at setting and attaining goals. Youth have the confidence to pursue their dreams and goals and make the necessary decisions to achieve their life plans.

Competencies: Youth have the knowledge, skills, strategies and attitudes necessary to have a positive foundation for success. Youth become competent by mastering tasks and thus demonstrating to themselves that they can do things well. Youth need to develop competence in the following areas:

Educational: Youth are proficient in basic educational disciplines and have
the capacity to utilize technology. Youth will graduate from high school and

are motivated to pursue learning opportunities throughout their lives.

                 Employment: Youth have the skills and attributes to be successful in
                 the work force. They are motivated to constantly develop new skills and
                 hone existing skills to maintain a competitive edge.

Social: Youth are able to develop and sustain positive relationships with
others.

Emotional: Youth are able to recognize, reflect on and appropriately express
their emotions, manage stress and cope with positive and adverse situations.

                 Cultural: Youth have an understanding and respect for their own cultural
                 identity and for the cultures of others; they are able to contribute in a
                 multicultural society and demonstrate tolerance for differences among people.

                 Community and Civic Involvement: Youth have a sense of belonging to
                 their community, family, and/ or group, and are willing to take civic
                 responsibility. Youth work closely with others to contribute to the greater good.

                 Health and Well Being: Youth live healthy lifestyles, take part in regular
                 fitness activities, are able to access health care resources and engage in
                 positive behaviors. They are able to manage stress. They use sound
                 judgment about personal safety, nutrition and avoidance of alcohol and other
                drugs and premature sexual activity.

                Moral Compass: Youth have values that enable them to develop positive
                relationships with others. These values include honesty, integrity,
                trustworthiness, a sense of justice and fairness, respect, caring and spirituality.

Trained youth development professionals help young people achieve these outcomes through research-based curricula and programs that have been developed and tested nationally over several decades.

Boys & Girls Club members rise above the severely disadvantaged circumstances in which most of them live, and, in fact, are more likely than the general United States population to succeed in school and graduate on time, stay away from illegal drugs, gangs, and alcohol, and lead a satisfying, productive adult life. More than half of Boys & Girls Club alumni surveyed nationally in 1999 said that participating in the Boys & Girls Club "saved my life."