History

We officially became Boys & Girls Clubs of Bay County in 1991.

In 1975, the Club moved to the new CC Moore Facility at 3404 West 19th Street, which is currently our largest location. This building was made possible by the generous gift of Vivian Moore. After her passing in 2008, the facility was renamed in her honor.  This property also includes a pool, bathhouse, picnic area & flag football field.

Thanks to a gift made by Charlie Hilton, we constructed and opened the L Charles Hilton Activity Center on the grounds of our CC Moore facility in 1996.

Also in 1996, with the help of Joe Chapman & the Panama City Housing Authority, we constructed and opened the Joseph F. Chapman Boys & Girls Club in Millville.

In 1998, we opened the Frank Brown Beach Unit at Frank Brown Park thanks to the help of the Panama City Beach City Commission & Police Chief JB Holloway.

In October 2018, Hurricane Michael devastated Bay County and the surrounding areas of the Panhandle. The Club’s Chapman Unit and Administrative Office were destroyed, and the CC Moore Unit and Hilton Teen Center were severely damaged. The Beach Unit was undamaged and was able to return to operation just two weeks after the storm.  Since then, the Club has worked hard to overcome many obstacles and provide services for local families.

In January 2019, CC Moore/Hilton and Chapman reopened temporarily at Bay District Schools facilities to offer afterschool and summer programs while the Clubs rebuild.  Also in January 2019, a brand-new site was opened at Waller Elementary in Youngstown thanks to a 21st Century Community Learning Center grant.

In the fall of 2020, the Club opened a new extension site at Tyndall Academy to serve middle school students.  During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Clubs maintained contact with families and re-opened safely to support Club members throughout these unprecedented times.

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Bay County has produced four State Youths of the Year in the past 30 years, including Area Director Justin Ward. In 2000, Club member Joseph Hall was selected from more than 3.5 million young people as the national organization’s Youth of the Year.  Two of our five full-time staff grew up as members of our Club, and over a dozen former members have become career professionals with other BGCA organizations across the country.