MENOMINEE, MICH. – For 110 years, the DAR Boys & Girls Club of Menominee/Marinette has been promoting their core beliefs of providing hope, opportunity and life-enhancing programs to local children. In celebration of this milestone, CEO Koreen Gardon discussed the history of the club and how the goal promoting the wellbeing of children has been carried through the decades.
First established in 1915 by the YMCA and the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), the organization began as a way to provide structure to kids living in the logging community.
“There wasn’t a lot for our youth to do during that time. When our kids don’t have structured activities, they find their own activities to do and a lot of times they’re not healthy or good choices,” Gardon explained.
People noticed the rise in young boys getting into trouble, which prompted a group of women in the community to open up their doors and create a welcoming and safe environment.
“They opened their homes for the boys to come in and play pool and gave them milk and cookies,” Gardon said.
The women active in DAR continued the club by adding more structure to this developing club. Later, the club was officially charted by the DAR.
Although the DAR no longer runs the children’s organization, Gardon said that including their name is one way they stay connected to their history.
“Fast forward to today, it’s really neat to see that the club has changed a lot — but at the heart, it really hasn’t. We still have pool. We still offer food for our kids every day. So, what was important back then is still crucial today,” Gardon explained.
In recognition of their rich history, the boardroom will serve as a mini museum for the day and allow visitors to actually “walk down memory lane,” as Gardon put it. Photos, articles, documents and more will be on display and sorted by decade to see how the DAR Boys & Girls Club has changed and grown.
One aspect Gardon shared her excitement about is the DAR Card wall.
“Anyone who has been a club member in the past knows that the card was always very, very important. You had to have that — that was your ticket into the club. There was talk [that kids] would try to run as fast as they could the first day the DAR Cards came out to try to get DAR Card number one,” Gardon shared.
Gardon said that it has been “an honor” to carry on the legacy of the club and continue learning more from the alumni and directors that came before her.
“I still think the club is at the forefront of what our kids’ needs are, doing what’s best for them and trying to keep up with that. Being a nonprofit, it’s not always easy — but, I think our board and our team of amazing staff members are pretty diligent on doing the best with the resources that we have to give opportunities to the youth that we serve,” Gardon said.
The DAR Boys & Girls Club of Menominee/Marinette will open their doors to the community on Friday, Oct. 17, in celebration of their 110th anniversary.
The open house will run from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. for community members to take guided tours or explore on their own. There will be presentations — including one from the Boys & Girls Club of America president — and a ribbon cutting ceremony at noon to welcome in the next 110 years.
Gardon encouraged everyone to stop by, “If you haven’t ever been at the club, you just want to learn more, you were an alumni or it’s just been years since you’ve been here — come and see all of the amazing changes and things that we’re doing.”
The DAR Boys & Girls Club of Menominee/Marinette is located at 901 8th Ave., Menominee, Mich. For more information, visit www.thedar.org or follow DAR Boys & Girls Club on Facebook.
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